UNITED NATIONS — Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has been elected president of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly after a closely contested vote that underscored competing diplomatic alignments inside the 193-member body.
Rahman defeated Andreas S. Kakouris, Cyprus’s ambassador and special envoy for multilateral affairs, in a secret ballot at UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday. Rahman secured 99 votes, while Kakouris received 91, with three countries abstaining, according to the Associated Press.
He will take office in September for a one-year term, succeeding Germany’s Annalena Baerbock, who leads the 80th session. The presidency of the General Assembly rotates among regional groups, and the 81st session falls to the Asia-Pacific group.
Rahman’s victory marks a major diplomatic achievement for Bangladesh and the country’s second time holding the post. Bangladeshi diplomat Humayun Rashid Choudhury previously served as president of the 41st General Assembly session in 1986-87.
Speaking after the vote, Rahman said he accepted the position with humility and respect, while warning that the United Nations faces a serious test of credibility amid wars, weakening human rights protections, widening inequality and financial strain.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated Rahman and praised his diplomatic experience, saying the next General Assembly president would be taking office at a difficult moment for multilateralism.
The General Assembly presidency is largely ceremonial but politically significant. The president chairs plenary meetings, guides debate among member states and helps shape the agenda on issues ranging from conflict and development to climate change and UN reform. The role also offers smaller and medium-sized countries a rare global platform.
Rahman was appointed Bangladesh’s foreign minister in February after serving in senior government roles, including as national security adviser and diplomat. His election is expected to boost Dhaka’s international profile at a time when Bangladesh is trying to strengthen its diplomatic reach and present itself as a more active voice in global governance.
The narrow vote also showed that the race was far from symbolic. Cyprus’s candidacy had drawn support from countries that backed its experience in European and multilateral diplomacy, while Bangladesh campaigned on broader representation from the Global South and Asia-Pacific region.
Rahman will formally assume the presidency when the 81st General Assembly session opens in September, with the annual high-level debate scheduled later that month.
