Bangladesh's top diplomat was elected president of the 81st United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday in a vote that, unusually, featured more than one candidate.
Khalilur Rahman won 99 votes in the secret ballot compared to 91 for Cypriot diplomat Andreas Kakouris.
He will succeed the outgoing president, Germany's former foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, in September.
“This landmark victory is a strong testament to the confidence and trust that the international community places in Bangladesh, as well as to the country’s growing diplomatic stature and constructive engagement within the multilateral system,” said Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry in a statement.
Calling it a “historic achievement”, the ministry said it also constituted a “significant international recognition of Bangladesh’s longstanding commitment to multilateral diplomacy, international peace and security, sustainable development, and global cooperation”.
Rahman became foreign minister in February, following Bangladesh's first elections since the 2024 ouster of longtime premier Sheikh Hasina.
During the interim government of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, Rahman served as national security adviser and point person on the country's huge population of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
Rahman holds degrees in law and economics from US universities and has participated in trade talks with Washington.
The president of the UN General Assembly is elected annually for a one-year term based on a geographical rotation, but there is rarely more than one candidate, who is usually accepted by unanimous consent.
This year, the position was allocated to the Asia-Pacific region, which includes Cyprus.
A third diplomat who had declared his candidacy, Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour, withdrew after it was strongly criticised by Israel.
Deputy Prime Minister and FM Ishaq Dar felicitated Dr Rahman on his election as president.
“Heartiest felicitations to my dear brother, Dr Khalilur Rahman, foreign minister of Bangladesh, on his election as president of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly,” Dar said, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office.
Heartiest felicitations to my dear brother, H.E. Dr. Khalilur Rahman, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh on his election as President of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly.
Having had closely engaged with him, I am confident that his vast diplomatic experience and steadfast…
— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) June 2, 2026
He said he was confident that Dr Rahman’s diplomatic experience and commitment to multilateralism would guide the General Assembly with distinction.
“I look forward to continuing our engagement at the United Nations and working together to strengthen multilateral cooperation, advance shared global priorities and promote dialogue, peace and sustainable development,” the deputy prime minister added while wishing him success in his new responsibility.
Who is Khalilur Rahman?
Rahman, 72, represents the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government in Bangladesh, which assumed office in less than three months after this February’s election, the first since the country’s student-led uprising in 2024.
After the uprising, he served as national security adviser and high representative for the Rohingya issue in the interim government led by then-chief advisor Muhammad Yunus.
Rahman joined Bangladesh’s diplomatic service in 1979.
In the US, he studied at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and earned a master’s degree in law and diplomacy and a PhD in economics.
He served the UN for 25 years, including in various UN offices in both New York and Geneva.
Speaking to the UN General Assembly after his win, Rahman said that under his presidency, the General Assembly will address UN reforms, preparations for the next generation of the global development agenda, and urgent global challenges, including climate change, geopolitical tensions, energy insecurity, and widening development divides.
