Dr Syed Jaffar Hussain

Dr Syed Jaffar Hussain (Pakistan) was reassigned as WHO Representative and Head of Mission in Islamic Republic of Iran effective 1 April 2021. Prior to this assignment, Dr Hussain was Chef de Cabinet at the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean from 1 July 2019 until 31 March 2021.

Previously, Dr Hussain worked as WHO Representative in Libya from September 2015 to July 2019, and WHO Representative in Tunisia from May 2016 to February 2018. During this period, Dr Hussain was also Resident Humanitarian Coordinator for a period of 6 months.

Between 2010 and 2015, Dr Hussain worked as WHO Representative and Head of Mission for Iraq, during which he also covered Syria for a period time. Among his other previous work assignments, Dr Hussain was Regional Adviser for Health Promotion and Violence, Injuries and Disabilities at the WHO Regional Office, starting in 2003.

Dr Hussain holds a doctorate degree in public health from Belford, United States of America, and a master’s degree in hospital and health services management from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, as well as a degree in medicine from the University of Peshawar in Pakistan.

Prior to joining the WHO Regional Office, Dr Hussain held the positions of Child Health Project Officer at UNICEF in Pakistan, WHO Child Health Technical Officer in Pakistan, and Health Coordinator at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Pakistan and Afghanistan from 1997 to January 2003. His government assignments included Assistant Director of Pakistan's Expanded Programme on Immunization, Assistant District Health Officer, Deputy Medical Superintendent at the Psychiatric Hospital, and National Programme Manager of the Lady Health Worker Programme for Primary Health Care and Family Planning from 1990 to 1997.

Dr Hussain has worked extensively in emergency settings, particularly focusing on post-emergency health system strengthening, as well as health issues of refugees and migrants in the Region and beyond. Dr Hussain served as Regional Ombudsperson from 2006 to 2010. Dr Hussain has led many United Nations (UN) leadership initiatives with UN Staff College, the World Bank and WHO and authored numerous publications in international peer-reviewed journals.

WHO Representative
PO Box 14665-1565
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11516
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