Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman left for the United States to join an informal interactive dialogue on Wednesday (13 May) as part of the election process for the presidency of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The informal interactive dialogues with the candidates will be convened in New York by President of the 80th session of the General Assembly Annalena Baerbock at 10:00 am and 3:00 pm local time on that day, according to foreign ministry officials.
The dialogues will be broadcast live on UN WebTV, while civil society organisations and individuals have been invited to engage in the process by submitting questions to the candidates, either in person or through video messages.
Khalilur, a candidate from the Asia-Pacific region, brings over three decades of experience with the United Nations, having served both as Bangladesh's representative to the General Assembly and as a senior official at the UN Secretariat in New York and Geneva-based United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
Over the years, he has participated in sixteen sessions of the General Assembly, engaging directly in negotiations, high-level meetings and follow-up processes, with extensive work on development issues concerning Least Developed Countries, Land-Locked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.
In his vision statement, the foreign minister said, "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."
He said he believes his knowledge, experience and leadership capabilities would enable him to effectively lead the General Assembly in advancing that goal.
The election for the president of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly will be held on 2 June at the UN Headquarters in New York in line with the rules of procedure.
Under the established regional rotation system, the president for the 81st session will be elected from the Asia-Pacific Group.
Following the withdrawal of the Palestinian candidature, Bangladesh is now set to compete with Cyprus for the post.
Khalilur said the 81st session of the UNGA would open at a historic crossroads, eight decades after the signing of the UN Charter in San Francisco, at a time when the global multilateral system faces profound challenges as well as unprecedented opportunities.
bd-pratidin/GR
