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Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister since February, Khalilur Rahman previously served as National Security Adviser and High Representative on the Rohingya Issue.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, left, and 80th President of the United Nations General Assembly Annalena Baerbock, right, flank Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, newly elected President of the 81st UN General Assembly, Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe via AP)(United Nations via AP)Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has been elected President of the UN General Assembly’s 81st session after defeating Andreas Kakouris of Cyprus in a closely contested vote.
With the victory on Tuesday, Rahman has positioned himself to steer the world body through a pivotal year marked by intensifying global crises, United Nations said in a statement.
In a secret-ballot election, Rahman secured 99 votes to Kakouris’s 91. A total of 190 ballots were cast, with no invalid votes or abstentions.
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 8 September.
Rahman's presidency will coincide with one of the most consequential processes on the UN calendar: the selection of Secretary-General António Guterres’s successor, whose term ends on 31 December 2026.
Jaishankar congratulates Rahman
India has congratulated Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman on his election.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in a post on X, congratulated Rahman on his election, saying he looks forward to "working closely with him to advance our shared priorities and strengthen multilateral cooperation."
"Congratulations to PGA-elect Dr Khalilur Rahman on his election as #PGA81. India will always support multilateralism with the @UN at its core," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni said in a post on X.
Who is Khalilur Rahman?
Rahman, 72, brings more than four decades of diplomatic and multilateral experience to the role. Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister since February, he previously served as National Security Adviser and High Representative on the Rohingya Issue.
A career diplomat, 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, securing the firstposition in the first regular civil service examination. In the same year, he secured first position in the MA examinations in Economics at the University of Dhaka. 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. He was also the spokesperson of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and aide to the President of the 41s Session of the UN General Assembly.
The UN will commence its ninth decade at a time when trust in our organization is being tested on multiple fronts.
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.
As a founding member of the East West University in Dhaka, Rahman served on Board of Trustees until November 2024. Subsequently, he was appointed as High Representative on the Rohingya Issue and later as National Security Adviser.
Rahman is married with two daughters and four grandchildren.
(With agency inputs)
About the Author
Gulam Jeelani
Gulam Jeelani is Political Desk Editor at LiveMint with over 16 years of experience covering national and international politics. Based in New Delhi, Jeelani delivers impactful political narratives through breaking stories, in-depth interviews, and analytical pieces at LiveMint since February 2024. The expertise in video production fuels his current responsibilities, which include curating content and conducting video interviews for an expanding digital audience.<br><br> Jeelani also travels during elections and key political events and has covered assembly elections in key states apart from national elections. He has previously worked with The Pioneer, Network18, India Today, News9Plus and Hindustan Times.<br><br> Jeelani’s tenure at LiveMint and previous experience at print and digital newsrooms have honed his skills in creating compelling text and video stories, explainers, and analysis that resonate with a diverse viewership.<br><br> Before moving to New Delhi in 2015, Jeelani was based in Uttar Pradesh, where he worked for five years as a reporter. In 2018, Jeelani was one of the two Indian journalists selected for the Alfred Friendly Fellowship in the US. There, he attended training workshops on reporting and data journalism, and he was attached to the Minneapolis Star Tribune in Minnesota, where he worked as a reporter.<br><br> Jeelani is a Bachelor's in Chemistry and holds a Masters Degree in journalism and mass communication from Aligarh Muslim University. Outside work, he enjoys poetry, cricket and movies.
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