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Bangladeshi Rahman Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman was elected as the president of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. Rahman received 99 votes and will start his duty on September 8.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman was elected as the president of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. Rahman surpassed Cyprus' Permanent Representative to the UN, Andreas Kakouris, in a secret ballot held at the UN headquarters in New York.
Following the election result, one of the highest offices of the UN General Assembly passed to Rahman. 190 votes were cast in the ballot, with no invalid or abstention votes. Rahman received 99 votes, while Kakouris remained at 91 votes.
Highlights
- Rahman became the president of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly
- Received 99 votes in the secret ballot
- His rival Andreas Kakouris remained at 91 votes
- A total of 190 votes were cast, with no invalid or abstention votes
- His term will start on September 8
The rotation rule fell to the Asia-Pacific group this time
The presidency of the General Assembly is determined on a rotational basis among the UN's five regional groups. The 81st session corresponded to the Asia-Pacific group's turn. Rahman emerged as the nominated candidate within this scope.
According to the schedule announced by the UN, Rahman will begin his one-year term on September 8. The new term coincides with one of the most critical periods in the UN calendar.
New term, new search at the UN
Rahman's presidency will coincide with the period when Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' term ends at the end of the year. Therefore, the new term will not only be a ceremonial presidency but will also carry one of the most important election processes within the UN.
The General Assembly is seen as the body with the broadest representation, bringing together the UN's 193 member states. At the annual session to be held in New York in September, world leaders can speak on the same platform regardless of whether their countries are small or large.
Rahman's diplomatic background
Khalilur Rahman is a career diplomat who joined Bangladesh's foreign service in 1979. He previously held senior UN positions in New York and Geneva.
He was appointed as the foreign minister of Bangladesh in February. Before that, he served as a national security advisor and a senior representative on the Rohingya issue.
Rahman's appointment to the ministry came after the long-term leader Sheikh Hasina was overthrown following the student-led uprising in 2024 and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party came to power in the first election.
Context: The presidency of the UN General Assembly is not merely a symbolic position; it plays an important role in the functioning of the institution in processes such as budget approval, election of non-permanent Security Council members, and the recommendation of the Secretary-General.
With Rahman taking office, the agenda of the General Assembly will intensify during a period when pressures on the UN's multilateral system are increasing. The new president will manage both the search for consensus among member states and the upcoming high-level UN processes.
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