Bangladesh, Cyprus in fray for President of 81st UNGA session

United Nations, Bangladesh and Cyprus will face off this week in a closely-watched election for the President of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and Cyprus' Special Envoy for Multilateralism Ambassador Andreas Kakouris are vying to lead the 193-member General Assembly during its 81st session, which begins in September.

The General Assembly, the chief deliberative, policy-making and representative organ of the United Nations, will vote on June 2 to elect its next president for a one-year term.

In line with the established regional rotation, the President of the 81st session will be elected from the Asia-Pacific Group.

The election will be held a day before the 193-member Assembly elects five new non-permanent members to the 15-nation UN Security Council for the 2027-28 term.

The successful candidate will succeed current General Assembly President and former German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, who is only the fifth woman to hold the post in the UN's 80-year history.

Rahman was sworn in as Bangladesh's Foreign Minister in February this year. Earlier, he served as National Security Adviser and High Representative for the Rohingya issue in Bangladesh's interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.

Kakouris brings more than four decades of diplomatic and administrative experience in multilateral and bilateral diplomacy. He has served as Cyprus' Ambassador and High Commissioner to the United States, among other senior diplomatic assignments.

He is currently Special Envoy for Multilateralism in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and most recently served as Permanent Secretary/State Secretary of the ministry.

The election comes amid raging global conflicts, a deeply polarised UN Security Council failing to fulfil its mandate of maintaining international peace and security, and heightened scrutiny of the effectiveness of the United Nations amid mounting financial constraints.

The world body has also begun the process of selecting its next Secretary-General as the tenure of incumbent UN chief Antonio Guterres is due to conclude at the end of next year.

In his vision statement, Rahman outlined six priority areas for his presidency: "Silence the Guns, Amplify the Voices", "No One Left Behind, No Country Left Out", "Our Planet, Our Pact", "Rights and Protection - Freedom from Fear and Want", "Innovation with Inclusion", and "We the Peoples - Reimagined".

"As a candidate from the Global South, I carry the aspirations of developing countries, but as president, I will be everyone's president acting without fear or favour and serving the interests of the entire membership," he said.

Rahman said the 81st session would feature several "milestone events that will test our collective resolve", from addressing the existential threats of sea-level rise, pandemic preparedness, to the right to development and nuclear disarmament.

"If elected President of the General Assembly, I will dedicate myself to rebuilding trust, nurturing consensus, and opening space for good faith negotiations that will lead to outcomes for all that are owned by all," he said.

If elected, Rahman would be the second person from Bangladesh, after Humayun Rasheed Choudhury, to head the UN General Assembly. Bangladeshi diplomat and former Parliament speaker Choudhury had served as President of the 41st session of the UN General Assembly in 1986.

Kakouris, in his vision statement, identified five priority areas: "Strengthening the Assembly's Capacity to Deliver: From Commitment to Implementation", "Peace and Security: Protecting People, Preventing Crises", "Development and Resilience: Climate, Oceans and Disaster Preparedness", "Enablers for the Future: Finance, Technology and Cooperation", and "Governance, Inclusion and Accountability".

"As President of the 81st Session of the General Assembly, I will work to strengthen the Assembly's capacity to deliver through dialogue, inclusion and practical cooperation, so that our common home remains credible, effective and responsive to the needs of our peoples," he said.

Kakouris said he would focus on agendas with measurable outcomes and credible implementation plans, particularly at a time when the UN system is preparing for a transition to a new Secretary-General.

If elected, Kakouris would become the first Cypriot to head the UN General Assembly.
Catch all LIVE updates on the US-Iran conflict here.