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Khalilur Rahman (economist)

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His Excellency
The Honourable
Khalilur Rahman
খলিলুর রহমান
Rahman in 2026
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office
17 February 2026
Prime MinisterTarique Rahman
Preceded byMd. Touhid Hossain
President-elect of the United Nations General Assembly
Assuming office
8 September 2026
SucceedingAnnalena Baerbock
National Security Adviser and High Representative to the Chief Adviser on Rohingya Issue
In office
9 April 2025 – 17 February 2026
Chief Adviser
Muhammad Yunus
Preceded byTarique Ahmed Siddique
Succeeded byAKM Shamsul Islam
Personal details
Born (1954-04-01) 1 April 1954
East Bengal, Pakistan
(now Bangladesh)
PartyIndependent
Children2
Dhaka Residential Model College
University of Dhaka
Tufts University
Harvard University

Khalilur Rahman (Bengali: খলিলুর রহমান; born 1 April 1954) is a Bangladeshi diplomat and economist currently serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs.[1] In June 2026 he was elected to serve a one-year term as President of the United Nations General Assembly, beginning in September 2026.[2]

Education

Born in East Bengal, Pakistan on 1 April 1954, Rahman was educated at Dhaka Residential Model College and later studied economics at the University of Dhaka. In 1979 he worked briefly at American Express Bank[3] before completing a Master's degree in law and diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University in the United States. He later earned a doctorate of philosophy in economics from the Harvard Kennedy School of Harvard University.[4]

Career

Civil service

Rahman joined the Bangladesh Civil Service in 1979,[5] serving in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as a private secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.[6] From 1986 to 1991 he worked at the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations, including as First Secretary, and was a spokesperson for the least developed countries.[5][7]

United Nations

Rahman meets United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres (2025)

Rahman joined the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) secretariat as chief of its New York office[8] and also served as a special adviser for UNCTAD in Geneva.[5] Later he was in charge of economic, social and development affairs in the executive office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and served as secretary of a high-level panel on the United Nations Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries[5] and chair of an inter-agency group on non-tariff barriers to trade.[5] Rahman's role involved working reports related to the least developed countries and contributing to the programme of action adopted at the third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Brussels in 2001, which included provisions on duty-free and quota-free market access for the least developed countries.[5]

In 2012 Rahman was appointed head of the policy development, coordination and monitoring service for the least developed countries at the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.[5]

Government of Bangladesh

In 2001 Rahman served briefly as private secretary to Latifur Rahman, Chief Adviser of Bangladesh to the caretaker government of Bangladesh.[6]

On 19 November 2024, following the July Uprising earlier that year, Rahman was appointed as high representative for the Rohingya crisis and related issues by the Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus.[9] From April 2025 he also held the role of National Security Adviser.[10]

In February 2026 Rahman was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of Tarique Rahman.[11][12]

President of the United Nations General Assembly

Rahman after being elected President of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, June 2026

On 2 June 2026, Rahman was elected to succeed Annalena Baerbock as President of the United Nations General Assembly for its 81st session.[13] He received 99 of the 190 ballots cast, with Cyprus’s candidate Andreas S. Kakouris winning 91. He will begin his term on 8 September 2026, becoming the second Bangladeshi to hold the position, after Humayun Rashid Choudhury during the 41st session in 1986−1987.[14][15]

Other roles

Rahman is a founding member of East West University in Dhaka and serves on its board of trustees.[16]

References

  1. "Gazette notification on allocation of portfolios to ministers, state ministers". Prothom Alo. 2026-02-18. Retrieved 2026-03-13.
  2. "Bangladesh's foreign minister defeats Cyprus' ambassador to be UN General Assembly president". AP News. 2 June 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  3. "Khalilur Rahman appointed as CA's high representative". The Business Standard. 2024-11-19. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
  4. "H.E. Khalilur Rahman". dohaforum.org. Retrieved 2026-03-13.
  5. "Speakers' Biographies" (PDF). United Nations. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  6. "Dr Khalilur Rahman made High Representative to CA". Bonik Barta. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
  7. List of Participants. UNCTAD. 1987. p. 6.
  8. "Press Briefing on Tenth UN Conference on Trade and Development". UN Press. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
  9. "Khalilur Rahman appointed as CA's high representative". The Daily Star. 19 November 2024.
  10. "Khalilur Rahman appointed National Security Adviser". The Daily Star. 9 April 2025.
  11. "Khalilur Rahman set to get foreign affairs portfolio as a technocrat minister". The Business Standard. 17 February 2026. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  12. "New Cabinet gets three Technocrats". Daily Sun. 17 February 2026. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  13. "Bangladesh's top diplomat elected UN General Assembly leader in tight race". Al Jazeera English. 3 June 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  14. UN News, "UN General Assembly elects Bangladesh’s Rahman as next president", 2 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  15. "Bangladesh wins UN General Assembly presidency". Prothom Alo. 2 June 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  16. "Khalilur Rahman appointed as CA's high representative". The Business Standard. 19 November 2024.