Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman -File photo

DHAKA, Sept 7, 2026 (BSS) - UN Secretary-General Ant¢nio Guterres has met Bangladesh Foreign Minister and President-elect of the 81st UN General Assembly (UNGA) Dr Khalilur Rahman in New York ahead of the session's opening on Tuesday. 

The meeting took place at UN Headquarters in New York today. 

The United Nations office in Bangladesh shared the development, extending its "warmest congratulations and best wishes" to Khalilur Rahman as he prepares to assume the presidency of the 193-member General Assembly. 

The meeting between the UN chief and the incoming General Assembly president comes immediately before Khalilur formally assumes the year-long global leadership role. 

The year-long presidency places a Bangladeshi diplomat at the helm of the UN's most representative organ at a critical juncture when conflicts, climate emergencies, development setbacks and eroding confidence in multilateralism are testing the international system.

Khalilur will open the 81st session at the UN Headquarters in New York at 3 pm local time on Tuesday, succeeding Germany's former foreign minister Annalena Baerbock.

His assumption of office will return Bangladesh to the UNGA presidency after four decades. Former foreign minister Humayun Rasheed Choudhury was the first Bangladeshi to hold the position, presiding over the 41st session in 1986-87.

Khalilur was elected on June 2 through a secret ballot, securing 99 votes against 91 received by Cyprus' candidate Andreas S Kakouris. 

The presidency was allocated to the Asia-Pacific Group under the UN's regional rotation system.

Bangladesh earned the prestigious honour around four months after Prime Minister Tarique Rahman assumed office on February 17. 

Bangladesh is also expected to maintain a high diplomatic profile during the session, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman scheduled to attend the high-level proceedings in New York.