Nepal is set to contest the leadership role of the World Health Organisation’s South-East Asia Regional Office, as the top post of the UN regional health body has been left vacant following the resignation of Saima Wazed on September 9.

A senior official at the Ministry of Health and Health and Food Safety said that the government has decided to nominate Dr Sangeeta Kaushal Mishra, an additional secretary at the ministry, as Nepal’s candidate for the post.

“Yes, Dr Mishra is Nepal’s candidate for WHO SEARO chief, and the government has already started lobbying member countries for support,” the official told the Post on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media. “The government will make every effort to ensure Mishra is elected.”

The UN health agency has yet to publicly announce the process for selecting Wazed’s successor. Reuters reported that it would announce nominations for the role on October 12, vet applications in December and hold elections on January 24 next year.

Bhutan, the Maldives and Sri Lanka are also preparing to contest the post, according to officials.

Of the 11 member countries in the WHO South-East Asia Region, only 10 countries are eligible to cast votes. Myanmar cannot vote because the United Nations imposed sanctions on it following the 2021 coup. 

Nepal, Bhutan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Timor-Leste will cast votes in the election.

“This is a geopolitical issue, and whichever country gets India’s support, it will be elected,” another official at the Health Ministry said, asking not to be named. “We hope that India will support Nepal this time.”

Nepal also contested the 2023 SEARO regional director election, in which Nepal’s Shambhu Acharya secured only two votes against eight votes for Saima Wazed. 

Acharya was a senior public health official who was, at the time, serving as Director, Country Strategy and Support at the office of the Director-General of the WHO in Geneva, Switzerland at the time.  He had three decades of experience with the UN health body. The election campaign drew criticism in Nepal, with some observers accusing the then government of failing to lobby sufficiently for Acharya. The government disputed those criticisms at the time.

Several international media outlets criticised the Bangladeshi prime minister for using her office, position, and clout to influence the election result, including with India at the time.

Wazed, the daughter of former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, resigned from the WHO post on September 9 after facing allegations investigated by the WHO and Bangladeshi authorities. Reuters reported that the WHO had recommended her dismissal before she resigned. Wazed has denied allegations.  

Wazed’s tenure was also overtaken by a dramatic political change in Bangladesh. She took office in February 2024, only about six months before her mother, Sheikh Hasina, resigned and fled Bangladesh amid mass protests in August 2024. Hasina subsequently took refuge in India.

Wazed’s position came under increasing scrutiny after the fall of the Hasina government. Bangladesh’s anti-corruption commissions later filed charges against her, and the WHO placed her on administrative leave. A WHO committee recommended her dismissal on September 8, a day before she resigned.

Officials at the Health Ministry said that the incumbent government, especially Prime Minister Balendra Shah, favours Dr Mishra. 

Mishra was also proposed for appointment as Health Minister under the Sushila Karki-led interim government. Her name had even been sent to the President's Office for approval, but was later withdrawn after Karki, according to reports, learned about a probe against her by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority. 

In June this year, the Special Court acquitted Mishra.

Mishra had also filed a case against the government for not appointing her as health secretary.

“The result will hinge on prime ministerial diplomacy and Nepal’s ability to rally member states,” a Health Ministry official said. “We are confident the prime minister’s international goodwill and pro-Gen Z stance will help secure the votes we need.”