Published : 09 Sep 2026, 05:17 AM
Updated : 16 Sep 2026, 11:48 AM
Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has taken the oath of office and assume the presidency of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
The swearing-in ceremony took place at UN Headquarters on Tuesday morning.
With this, a Bangladeshi representative occupies the General Assembly presidency for the first time in four decades.
Annalena Baerbock of Germany, president of the 80th session, has congratulated the incoming president.
Khalilur was elected president of the UN General Assembly on Jun 2, defeating Andreas S Kakouris, special envoy of Cyprus's foreign minister.
Forty years earlier, in 1986, Bangladesh's former foreign secretary and politician Humayun Rasheed Choudhury had served as president of the General Assembly's 41st session. Khalilur was serving as Choudhury's personal aide at that time.
Under the system of regional rotation, the presidency for this session went to the Asia-Pacific region.
The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus had initially nominated the then foreign affairs advisor, Touhid Hossain, for the election.
Because a Palestinian candidate was also in the race for the same post, Bangladesh kept its candidacy suspended without withdrawing it. Once Palestine withdrew its candidacy, Bangladesh's bid was revived.
In the meantime, following a change in government, Foreign Minister Khalil replaced Touhid as Bangladesh's candidate.
Khalil joined the foreign ministry after topping the first regular BCS examination held in 1977.
He has spent most of his career working across various UN agencies.
