Bangladesh foreign minister and the president-elect of the 81st session of the General Assembly Khalilur Rahman set out peace and security among his to priorities for better delivery as the new President of the General Assembly.

Accepting the position, Rahman expressed “deep appreciation to the member States of the United Nations for the trust and confidence they have reposed in me.”

He said, “the UN will commence its 9th decade at a time when trust in our organisation is being tested on multiple fronts. Scourges of conflict and war, from which our organisation aimed to save our succeeding generations, continue to inflict untold sufferings. Development gains remain fragile and uncertain, and in some cases are regressing. All this is happening at a time when multilateralism has come under increasing pressure, and our organisation faces financial stress.”

The president-elect said, “we must collectively demonstrate that the UN can adopt reform and better deliver and justify every penny Member States - all of you - contribute in order to restore trust in our organisation.”

Rahman said his presidency would focus on six broad priorities: peace and security; accelerating progress on the SDGs; climate action and environmental protection; human rights; governance of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, and UN reform.

Rahman presidency will coincide with one of the most consequential processes on the UN calendar: the selection of Secretary-General António Guterres’s successor, whose term ends on 31 December 2026.

The new president-elect’s theme is an inspiring call to action for the multilateral system — “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All.”