Khalilur Rahman elected UNGA president

Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr Khalilur Rahman was elected President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for the 81st session, competing against Cyprus.

In the ballot 190 votes were cast, with Bangladesh receiving 99 votes and Cyprus receiving 91 votes.

Ambassador Andreas S Kakouris, Cyprus’ candidate for the UNGA Presidency, brought over four decades of diplomatic and administrative experience in multilateral and bilateral diplomacy, as well as at headquarters.

The voting to this prestigious post was held at 10:00am (NY Time) in the General Assembly Hall, UNHQs on Tuesday.

The outcome of the election was announced around 9:00pm (Dhaka time) on Tuesday, following the completion of vote counting.

The election was held in line with Rule 30 of the Rules of Procedure.

In accordance with the established regional rotation, the President of the 81st session of the General Assembly was elected from the Asia Pacific Group.

Bangladesh last held the prestigious position in 1986-87, when the then Foreign Minister Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury was elected President of the 41st General Assembly.

Four decades later, the country sought to reclaim the post and succeeded.

The 81st session of the UNGA will open on September 8, 2026, with the high-level General Debate commencing on September 22.