UN Secretary-General António Guterres has met Bangladesh Foreign Minister and President-elect of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Dr Khalilur Rahman, at UN Headquarters in New York ahead of the opening of the new session.
The meeting comes just hours before Khalilur is set to formally assume the year-long presidency of the 193-member General Assembly, placing a Bangladeshi diplomat at the centre of the UN’s most representative body at a time of growing global conflicts, humanitarian crises and mounting pressure on the multilateral system.
The UN office in Bangladesh conveyed its warm congratulations and best wishes to Khalilur Rahman as he prepares to take charge of the 81st UNGA session.
According to BSS, Khalilur will formally open the session at 3pm local time on Tuesday at UN Headquarters, succeeding former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
His election marks a significant diplomatic milestone for Bangladesh, which is returning to the UNGA presidency after four decades. Former Foreign Minister Humayun Rasheed Choudhury became the first Bangladeshi to hold the position when he presided over the 41st General Assembly session in 1986–87.
Khalilur was elected president on June 2 through a secret-ballot vote, defeating Cyprus’ candidate Andreas S Kakouris by 99 votes to 91. The presidency was assigned to the Asia-Pacific Group under the UN’s established regional rotation system.
Bangladesh secured the prestigious position less than four months after Prime Minister Tarique Rahman took office on February 17, adding further weight to Dhaka’s diplomatic engagement at the United Nations.
During his one-year tenure, Khalilur is expected to navigate a challenging international agenda shaped by armed conflicts, climate emergencies, development financing pressures and declining confidence in multilateral institutions.
Bangladesh is also set to maintain a strong presence during the session, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman expected to travel to New York to participate in the high-level proceedings.
Khalilur’s presidency is therefore being viewed not only as a personal diplomatic achievement but also as an opportunity for Bangladesh to amplify its priorities on global peace, sustainable development, climate action and humanitarian issues on the international stage.
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