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Khalilur Rahman under spotlight as he steers 81st UNGA
Staff Correspondent 23 September, 2026, 09:08
Bangladesh foreign minister and president of UNGA 81st session Khalilur Rahman in a Facebook post shared his personal exchange with US president Donald Trump. | Collected Photo
Khalilur Rahman, president of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, is under spotlight as he presides over the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, with world leaders gathering in New York amid wars and geopolitical tensions.
The high-level general debate, which began on September 22 and will continue through September 26, is the most visible test so far for Khalilur Rahman, who was elected president of the 81st session in June.
US president Donald Trump was among the first speakers to take the stage.
Gathering of world leaders takes place against a backdrop of global conflicts, environmental crisis and massive technical disruption
The foreign minister of Bangladesh formally took the chair when the session opened on September 8 and is presiding over the general debate as presidents, prime ministers and other senior representatives address the 193-member Assembly.
US president Donald Trump delivered his address while Khalilur Rahman, as UNGA president, was seated behind him alongside UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
He later held a brief exchange with Trump.
The 81ar session of the UNGA is being held under the theme ‘Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All.’
Khalilur Rahman has placed restoring confidence in the UN and making the organisation more responsive at the centre of his presidency.
His presidency comes as the UN faces a series of major challenges, including conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, humanitarian crises, climate change and the rapid development of artificial intelligence.
For him, the presidency provides Bangladesh with a prominent role at the centre of the UN’s most important annual diplomatic gathering.
A veteran diplomat with more than 30 years of UN experience, Khalilur Rahman has attended 16 sessions of the General Assembly earlier.
Opening the general debate on September 22, Rahman said, ‘Outside these walls, people are not asking whether the United Nations still exists. They are asking whether it works.’
Staff Correspondent 23 September, 2026, 09:08
Bangladesh foreign minister and president of UNGA 81st session Khalilur Rahman in a Facebook post shared his personal exchange with US president Donald Trump. | Collected Photo
Khalilur Rahman, president of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, is under spotlight as he presides over the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, with world leaders gathering in New York amid wars and geopolitical tensions.
The high-level general debate, which began on September 22 and will continue through September 26, is the most visible test so far for Khalilur Rahman, who was elected president of the 81st session in June.
US president Donald Trump was among the first speakers to take the stage.
Gathering of world leaders takes place against a backdrop of global conflicts, environmental crisis and massive technical disruption
The foreign minister of Bangladesh formally took the chair when the session opened on September 8 and is presiding over the general debate as presidents, prime ministers and other senior representatives address the 193-member Assembly.
US president Donald Trump delivered his address while Khalilur Rahman, as UNGA president, was seated behind him alongside UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
He later held a brief exchange with Trump.
The 81ar session of the UNGA is being held under the theme ‘Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All.’
Khalilur Rahman has placed restoring confidence in the UN and making the organisation more responsive at the centre of his presidency.
His presidency comes as the UN faces a series of major challenges, including conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, humanitarian crises, climate change and the rapid development of artificial intelligence.
For him, the presidency provides Bangladesh with a prominent role at the centre of the UN’s most important annual diplomatic gathering.
A veteran diplomat with more than 30 years of UN experience, Khalilur Rahman has attended 16 sessions of the General Assembly earlier.
Opening the general debate on September 22, Rahman said, ‘Outside these walls, people are not asking whether the United Nations still exists. They are asking whether it works.’
