Bangladesh's Khalilur Rahman elected President of UN General Assembly: Who is he?

Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has been elected President of the UN General Assembly’s 81st session after defeating Andreas Kakouris of Cyprus in a closely contested vote.

With the victory on Tuesday, Rahman has positioned himself to steer the world body through a pivotal year marked by intensifying global crises, United Nations said in a statement.

In a secret-ballot election, Rahman secured 99 votes to Kakouris’s 91. A total of 190 ballots were cast, with no invalid votes or abstentions.

The presidency rotates among the UN’s five regional groups, and the 81st session falls to the Asia-Pacific group. Rahman will serve a one-year term starting on 8 September.

Rahman's presidency will coincide with one of the most consequential processes on the UN calendar: the selection of Secretary-General António Guterres’s successor, whose term ends on 31 December 2026.

Jaishankar congratulates Rahman

India has congratulated Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman on his election.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in a post on X, congratulated Rahman on his election, saying he looks forward to “working closely with him to advance our shared priorities and strengthen multilateral cooperation.”

"Congratulations to PGA-elect Dr Khalilur Rahman on his election as #PGA81. India will always support multilateralism with the @UN at its core," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni said in a post on X.

Who is Khalilur Rahman?

Rahman, 72, brings more than four decades of diplomatic and multilateral experience to the role. Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister since February, he previously served as National Security Adviser and High Representative on the Rohingya Issue.

A career diplomat, Rahman was sworn in as the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh on February 17, 2026. His previous roles included National Security Adviser and High Representative for the Rohingya Issue in the Interim Government of Bangladesh.

Rahman joined the diplomatic service of Bangladesh in 1979, securing the first position in the first regular civil service examination. In the same year, he secured first position in the MA examinations in Economics at the University of Dhaka. Between 1980 and 1983, he pursued advanced studies at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, earning his MA in Law and Diplomacy and PhD in Economics.

During 1983-1991, he served at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and at the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York. He represented Bangladesh at the Economic and Financial Committee of the UN General Assembly. He was also the spokesperson of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and aide to the President of the 41s Session of the UN General Assembly.

In 1999, Rahman joined the United Nations secretariat as Special Adviser at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva. During the ensuing 25 years at the UN, he held senior positions in the United Nations in New York and Geneva, and was a lead author of and substantive contributor to major UN flagship publications.

As a founding member of the East West University in Dhaka, Rahman served on Board of Trustees until November 2024. Subsequently, he was appointed as High Representative on the Rohingya Issue and later as National Security Adviser.

Rahman is married with two daughters and four grandchildren.

(With agency inputs)