Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman elected as next UNGA president

• Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman was elected as the president of the UN General Assembly’s 81st session on June 2.

• Rahman and Cyprus’ Special Envoy for Multilateralism Andreas Kakouris were vying to lead the 193-member General Assembly in its 81st session.

• In the closely-contested elections, the Bangladeshi diplomat garnered 99 votes while Kakouris got 91 votes in his favour out of the 190 members present and voting. 

• To be elected, the candidate required a simple majority of 96 votes.

• Rahman takes over the baton from current General Assembly president and former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. 

• The presidency rotates among the UN’s five regional groups, and the 81st session falls to the Asia-Pacific group. 

• Rahman will serve a one-year term starting on September 8. 

• The 81st session will open on September 8, with world leaders gathering two weeks later for the annual high-level debate at UN Headquarters, in New York.

Who is Khalilur Rahman?

• Khalilur Rahman was sworn in as the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh on February 17, 2026. 

• His previous roles included National Security Adviser and High Representative for the Rohingya Issue in the Interim Government of Bangladesh.

• Rahman joined the diplomatic service of Bangladesh in 1979.

• Between 1980 and 1983, he pursued advanced studies at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, earning his MA in Law and Diplomacy and PhD in Economics.

• During 1983-1991, he served at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and at the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York. 

• He represented Bangladesh at the Economic and Financial Committee of the UN General Assembly.

• In 1999, Rahman joined the United Nations secretariat as Special Adviser at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva. 

• During the ensuing 25 years at the UN, he held senior positions in the United Nations in New York and Geneva, and was a lead author of and substantive contributor to major UN flagship publications.