UNGA's new president to oversee upcoming secretary-general selection process Bangladeshi foreign minister secures victory

Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has been elected President of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), following a closely contested vote this week that underscores both the competitiveness of the race and the broader geopolitical tensions shaping multilateral diplomacy.

Rahman secured 99 votes in the secret ballot held on June 2, defeating Cyprus’s Ambassador Andreas Kakouris by an eight-vote margin. A total of 190 ballots were cast, with no invalid votes or abstentions, according to the organization's press release on the event.

The presidency of the UN General Assembly rotates annually among the United Nations’ five regional groups, with the 81st session allocated to the Asia-Pacific bloc. Rahman will assume the one-year role on September 8, according to the United Nations.

His tenure is expected to coincide with one of the most consequential processes on the UN calendar: the selection of the next Secretary-General, as António Guterres’s term concludes at the end of this year.

A seasoned diplomat, Rahman previously served as Bangladesh’s national security adviser and as high representative on the Rohingya refugee crisis before being appointed foreign minister in February, following the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) electoral victory in the country’s first election since the 2024 student-led uprising that ousted longtime leader Sheikh Hasina.

He joined Bangladesh’s foreign service in 1979 and has also held senior positions within the United Nations system in New York and Geneva, according to UN sources.

Addressing diplomats after his election, Rahman said: “The UN will commence its ninth decade at a time when trust in our organisation is being tested on multiple fronts.” He added: “Taken together, these challenges tend to undermine the public trust and confidence in the ability of our organisation to deliver its promises.”

Outgoing UNGA President Annalena Baerbock, former Foreign Minister of Germany under Olaf Scholz, echoed concerns about the mounting pressures facing the multilateral system, warning that the United Nations is confronting “not only headwinds, but immense pressure,” as consensus becomes increasingly difficult and adherence to the UN Charter requires “a daily necessity.”

The UN General Assembly plays a central role in global governance, including approving the UN budget, electing non-permanent members of the Security Council, and appointing the Secretary-General on the recommendation of the Security Council.

By Nazrin Sadigova