Dr Rabindra Abeyasinghe
WHO Representative to Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore
Dr Rabindra Abeyasinghe is the WHO Representative and Head of the WHO Country Office to Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore based in Kuala Lumpur since 2022.
With over three decades of experience, he is known for his expertise in public health, building partnerships with governments, UN agencies and development partners to improve public health outcomes, Dr Rabi Abeyasinghe has contributed to national, regional and global strategies for disease control and has represented WHO in high-level negotiations and intergovernmental forums. Most recently Dr Rabi was a Member of the Action for Results Group convened by DG WHO to support country focused transformation of WHO from 2023 to 2025
He has earlier served as the WHO Representative to the Philippines and has held leadership roles as Director a.i. health security and emergencies in WPRO, including spearheading the regional response to COVID-19 and Director a.i. Communicable Disease Control WPRO. He was Coordinator and Team Lead Malaria, other vector borne diseases and Neglected Tropical Diseases Control in WPRO. Dr Rabi’s work has spanned both strategic policy development and frontline coordination during health emergencies, contributing to WHO's mission of improving health outcomes in several countries.
Dr Rabi Abeyasinghe is a Board-Certified Medical Specialist MD (Community Medicine) from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Additionally, he has a M.Sc. in Biology and Control of Disease Vectors from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and a Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene from the Royal College of Physicians, London.
He is a Fellow of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka and a past President of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka. He was a Senior Fellow of the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka and Advisory Board Chair of the Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network.
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/countries/malaysia/wr-dr-rabi-mys-brn-sgp.tmb-1920v.jpg?sfvrsn=ac0ab3ae_1 "Dr Rabindra")
Members of the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) team during a laboratory visit in Singapore
WHO vision and mission
The founding vision of WHO is a world in which all people attain the highest possible standard of health and well-being. The WHO mission is to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. WHO works with a commitment to human rights, universality and equity, based on the principles espoused in the WHO Constitution.
Core functions of WHO include: providing leadership on matters crucial to health and engaging in partnerships where joint action is needed; shaping the research agenda and stimulating the generation, translation and dissemination of valuable knowledge; setting norms and standards and promoting and monitoring their implementation; articulating ethical and evidence- based policy options; providing technical support to catalyse changes; building sustainable institutional capacity; and monitoring the health situation and assessing health trends.
In order to provide effective support, the WHO country office leverages the three levels of the Organization: to focus support where it can make a difference; to place the right people in the right places; to engage partners effectively; to enhance communications; and to improve operational intelligence.