Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has taken office as President of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, saying he will continue to bring the voices of Rohingya and other stateless people into the UN system.
by RK Desk
New York, 9 September 2026: Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman has taken office as President of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly and pledged to continue raising the voices of Rohingya refugees at the United Nations.
Speaking to journalists at UN Headquarters before assuming the presidency, Khalilur was asked how the United Nations could better represent stateless populations, including the Rohingya.
He said the opening words of the UN Charter, “We the peoples of the United Nations,” should include all people regardless of nationality or legal status.
Khalilur, who previously served as Bangladesh’s High Representative on Rohingya Issues, recalled meeting forcibly displaced Rohingya refugees and hearing their repeated demand to return to their homeland.
Referring to UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ visit to the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh, he said refugees had delivered a clear message: “We want to go home.”
Khalilur said Bangladesh had helped bring Rohingya voices to the United Nations and added that he would continue to do so during his presidency.
The 81st session of the General Assembly opened on 8 September, with Khalilur taking over the presidency from Germany’s former Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
He said dialogue, cooperation and reform of the United Nations would be among the main priorities of his one-year presidency.
Khalilur also stressed that he would serve impartially as president of all 193 UN member states.
His presidency marks Bangladesh’s return to the post after four decades. Former Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Humayun Rasheed Choudhury served as President of the 41st UN General Assembly session in 1986–87.
