Dhaka: Today is the birthday of Saima Wazed Putul, the daughter of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the granddaughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. She was born on this day in 1972.Saima Wazed is a dedicated personality at home and abroad for her activities and dedication for the welfare of differently abled children. She is a licensed school psychologist and a member of the World Health Organization's 25-member Expert Advisory Panel on mental health. Saima Wazed started working on autism since 2008 and has earned global fame for her activities within a short period of time. She was conferred ‘WHO Excellence' award in September, 2014. Saima organized the first South Asian conference on Autism in 2011 in Dhaka. She is the chairperson of National Advisory Committee on Autism and Neurodevelopmental disorders. She campaigned for “Comprehensive and Coordinated Efforts for the Management of Autism Spectrum Disorders” resolution at the World Health Assembly which adopted the resolution. ‘Autism Speaks' praised her for spearheading “a truly global push for support for this resolution”.
In November, 2016, Saima Wazed had been elected as chairperson of International Jury Board meeting of UNESCO for Digital Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. She was designated as WHO Champion for Autism in south-east Asia in 2017. In July, 2017 she became the Goodwill Ambassador of the World Health Organization (WHO) for autism in South-East Asia Region.
