Khalilur Rahman sworn in as 81st UNGA president

Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has taken the oath as the president of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The closing ceremony of the 80th session of the UNGA and the formal swearing-in of the newly elected president of the 81st session were held at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday night.

Khalilur, who succeeded former German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, will serve as the president of the UN's highest representative and global multilateral forum for the next one year.

Humayun Rasheed Choudhury was the first Bangladeshi to hold the post, serving during the 1986-87 session.

Before taking the oath, Khalilur addressed a media briefing around 8:45pm (Bangladesh time), when he outlined his vision for conducting UNGA activities during the upcoming session.

Khalilur will preside over the first plenary meeting of the 81st session at 1am (Bangladesh time) on Wednesday.

The Bangladesh foreign minister was elected on 2 June in a secret ballot, securing 99 votes against 91 for Cyprus' candidate Andreas S Kakouris. 

His election has raised Bangladesh’s profile on the global stage and increased the country's diplomatic exposure.