Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has been elected president of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), defeating Cyprus’s ambassador Andreas Kakouris in a closely contested secret ballot. The election, held on Tuesday, saw Rahman secure 99 votes, eight more than his rival, out of 190 total ballots cast. No votes were invalid or abstained. Under UN rules, the presidency rotates annually among five regional groups, and this term fell to the Asia-Pacific group. Rahman will serve a one-year term beginning on September 8.

His presidency coincides with the upcoming process to select a successor to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, whose term ends later this year. Rahman, a career diplomat who joined Bangladesh’s foreign service in 1979, became foreign minister in February after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party won the first election following the 2024 student-led uprising that ousted Sheikh Hasina. He previously served as national security adviser and high representative on Rohingya affairs.

Outgoing UNGA president Annalena Baerbock highlighted growing pressure on multilateralism, noting that the Assembly’s leadership role has become increasingly critical amid global challenges.