Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman has joined the informal interactive dialogue as part of the election for the presidency of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

President of the 80th session of the General Assembly Annalena Baerbock convened informal interactive dialogues with the candidates for the presidency of the 81st UN session on Wednesday that were broadcast live on UN WebTV.

In its resolution 71/323 titled “Revitalisation of the work of the General Assembly”, the Assembly called upon candidates for the position of President of the General Assembly to present their vision statements, conducted informal interactive dialogues with Member States, thus contributing to the transparency and inclusivity of the process.

Civil society organisations and individuals engaged in the informal interactive dialogues by submitting questions to the candidates.

Questions were received through the registration of participants who engaged either in person or through video messages.

Khalilur Rahman is a candidate from the Asia-Pacific region with over 30 years of experience with the United Nations, both as a representative of Bangladesh to the General Assembly and as a senior official at the UN secretariat in New York and at UNCTAD in Geneva.

Over the years, he has actively participated in 16 UNGA sessions, engaging directly in its negotiations, high-level meetings and follow-up processes.

Throughout his career, Khalilur Rahman has worked extensively on development issues facing the Global South, including those related to Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

“I am convinced that our world now needs a more effective and responsive multilateralism. By working together, we can build a more robust multilateral system that commands the trust of Member States and delivers tangible benefits for all,” the foreign minister said in his vision statement.

He said he believes that he has the combination of knowledge, experience and leadership capabilities to effectively lead the General Assembly to advance this overarching goal.

The election of the president of the United Nations General Assembly for the 81st session will be held on June 2 in the General Assembly Hall at UN headquarters, 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 will be elected from the Asia Pacific Group.

Following the withdrawal of the Palestinian candidature, Bangladesh will now compete with Cyprus.

The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly will open at a historic crossroads, Khalilur Rahman said, adding that eight decades after the UN Charter was signed in San Francisco, their shared system of multilateral cooperation faces profound challenges.

“Yet this moment also presents unprecedented opportunities to renew its promise for ‘we the peoples’ in the 21st century,” he said.