Bangladesh wins UNGA presidency

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has been elected president of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), defeating Cyprus's candidate Ambassador Andreas S Kakouris in a closely contested vote.

Of the 190 ballots cast at the UN General Assembly Hall in New York today (2 June), Khalilur secured 99 votes against Kakouris' 91. The result was announced around 9pm Bangladesh time following the completion of vote counting.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman congratulated Khalilur on his election in a Facebook post, describing it as a reflection of Bangladesh's growing contribution and credibility on the global stage. "We believe he will proudly represent Bangladesh and forge connectivity, dialogue, and cooperation in addressing multilateral, shared challenges," he wrote.

The election was held under Rule 30 of the General Assembly's Rules of Procedure. In line with the UN's regional rotation system, the presidency for the 81st session was allocated to the Asia-Pacific Group.

Kakouris entered the race with more than four decades of diplomatic and administrative experience in bilateral and multilateral affairs.

The victory returns the UNGA presidency to Bangladesh for the first time in nearly four decades. Bangladesh last held the post in 1986-87, when then foreign minister Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury served as president of the 41st General Assembly.

The current president of the General Assembly is former German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, who was elected to lead the 80th session on 2 June 2025 with 167 votes, while 14 delegations abstained.

The 81st session of the UNGA will open on 8 September 2026, while the high-level General Debate will begin on 22 September. The presidency rotates annually among the UN's five regional groups – Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western Europe and Others – with member states electing the president through a one-country, one-vote system.

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar congratulated Khalilur Rahman in a message on his verified X account, saying he looks forward to working closely with him.

The Chinese Embassy in Dhaka also congratulated Khalilur, expressing confidence that the President-elect will foster unity among member states, uphold sovereign equality and international law, promote dialogue and consultation, and strengthen the foundations of multilateralism.

Meanwhile, Questions had been raised in diplomatic circles over whether Khalilur would step down from his current role to serve full-time at the UN. Addressing the issue during an informal interactive dialogue at the UN on 13 May, he indicated that he would take leave rather than resign.

"Will I resign? No, my prime minister, Tarique Rahman, has told me very clearly that he's going to let me off for one year to do a full-time job. Resignation is not the only option. I can get a leave," Khalilur said.

There is precedent for simultaneously holding a foreign ministry portfolio and the UNGA presidency. Abdulla Shahid of the Maldives served as his country's foreign minister while presiding over the 76th session of the General Assembly in 2021.

In a recent interview with The Business Standard, former ambassador M Humayun Kabir said he had never seen a country's foreign minister take a year-long leave of absence, though he noted that any decision on the matter ultimately rests with the head of the government.

"In the current context, the presence of the foreign minister is extremely important for the country," he said.

Asked whether Bangladesh's election to the presidency of the UN General Assembly could help its efforts to seek a deferment of its graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category, Kabir said the development could have some positive impact.

"There will be some impact because the current foreign minister has spent his entire career working on issues related to LDCs," he said.

However, he cautioned against overestimating the significance of the role.

"We must remember that Bangladesh is the largest economy among the 46 LDCs. Any decision regarding LDC graduation will depend on broader international considerations, not solely on who holds the UNGA presidency," he added.

Khalilur is expected to arrive in Dhaka from the United States on 4 June. Former ambassador M Humayun Kabir will be returning with him on the same flight.

BNP Media Cell member Shairul Kabir Khan confirmed the matter to the media tonight, citing Kabir.