New Delhi: Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has been elected the president of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Bangladesh last had presidency of the General Assembly in the 41st (1986-87) session, with its then foreign minister, Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury, holding the position.On Tuesday, Rahman received 99 out of 190 votes, against 91 for Andreas S. Kakouris, special envoy of Cyprus’s foreign minister for multilateralism.
Rahman, who was sworn in as Bangladesh’s foreign minister in February this year, will take office for a one-year term when the 81st UNGA session convenes in September.In line with the UN’s regional rotation system, the presidency for the upcoming session was allocated to the Asia-Pacific Group. According to Bangladesh media reports, Khalilur is likely to take a year-long leave as foreign minister to serve his role.The 81st session of the UNGA is scheduled to open on 8 September, with the annual high-level General Debate beginning on 22 September.India has extended congratulations to Rahman following the election. “Congratulations to FM Dr. Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh on his election as President of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. @UN_PGA. Look forward to working closely with him to advance our shared priorities and strengthen multilateral cooperation,” External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar wrote on X.Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman posted, “This achievement reflects Bangladesh’s increasing contribution and credibility on the global stage.”
