New Delhi: Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has been elected the president of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Bangladesh last had presidency of the General Assembly in the 41st (1986-87) session, with its then foreign minister, Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury, holding the position.
On Tuesday, Rahman received 99 out of 190 votes, against 91 for Andreas S. Kakouris, special envoy of Cyprus’s foreign minister for multilateralism.
Rahman, who was sworn in as Bangladesh’s foreign minister in February this year, will take office for a one-year term when the 81st UNGA session convenes in September.
In line with the UN’s regional rotation system, the presidency for the upcoming session was allocated to the Asia-Pacific Group. According to Bangladesh media reports, Khalilur is likely to take a year-long leave as foreign minister to serve his role.
The 81st session of the UNGA is scheduled to open on 8 September, with the annual high-level General Debate beginning on 22 September.
India has extended congratulations to Rahman following the election. “Congratulations to FM Dr. Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh on his election as President of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. @UN_PGA. Look forward to working closely with him to advance our shared priorities and strengthen multilateral cooperation,” External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar wrote on X.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman posted, “This achievement reflects Bangladesh’s increasing contribution and credibility on the global stage.”
Many congratulations to our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Khalilur Rahman, on his election as the President of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
This achievement reflects Bangladesh’s increasing contribution and credibility on the global stage. We believe…
— Tarique Rahman (@trahmanbnp) June 2, 2026
Also congratulating the Bangladesh foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s former foreign minister and current UNGA president, said that she was looking forward to working closely with him until he takes office.
“The role of the president of the General Assembly is no longer simply procedural, reading out notes, because even the procedural rules themselves are being challenged, as we have experienced many times before,” Baerbock wrote on X.
Congratulations to H.E. Mr. Khalilur Rahman on his election as President of the General Assembly at its 81st session! At a time when the UN is facing immense pressure, the role of the PGA is no longer simply procedural. I wish the PGA-elect nothing but success in guiding the work… pic.twitter.com/2FkPO2IWeL
— Annalena Baerbock (@UN_PGA) June 2, 2026
Rahman had joined the UN Secretariat in 1991 as a special adviser at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva.
Over the next 25 years, he served in a series of senior positions in New York and Geneva, including chief of the programme for least developed countries at the UN Secretariat, chair of the UN system interagency group on non-tariff barriers to international trade, and principal coordinator of programmes focused on emerging and dynamic sectors of world trade.
In his acceptance remarks Tuesday, Rahman noted what he described as a critical moment for the United Nations.
“The United Nations is being tested on multiple fronts,” he said, noting that “scourges of conflict and war, from which our organisation aimed to save our succeeding generations, continue to inflict untold sufferings”.
He added, “Taken together, these challenges tend to undermine the public trust and confidence in the ability of our organisation to deliver its promises, and this is a challenge that I will confront together with all of you.”
He also pledged to pursue “a holistic approach to peacekeeping and peacebuilding that prioritises prevention and political solutions, strengthens peacebuilding, and protects civilians”.
“I will support dialogue to make even peacekeeping more fit for purpose and advocate for greater representation of women in peacekeeping,” he said. He also promised to uphold “achieving gender equality and full and meaningful participation of women and girls in all walks of life”.
Addressing the General Assembly after the vote, UN Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated the Bangladesh minister, appreciating the theme chosen by him for his presidency: “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All”.
“It reflects his commitment to strengthening the global problem-solving system that has been delivered for the world since 1945,” Guterres remarked.
Offering his “full support”, he added: “Your remarkable political and diplomatic experience are a guarantee of success to the benefit not only of the General Assembly, but of the United Nations as a whole.”
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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