Khalil dismisses concerns about simultaneously serving as FM, UNGA president

Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman has dismissed concerns about simultaneously serving as foreign minister and president of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), saying there is a clear precedent for holding both positions at the same time.

Speaking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday after returning from New York following his election as president of the 81st UNGA session, Khalilur Rahman said there was no need for him to take leave from his ministerial responsibilities.

“There is no reason to be overly concerned. There is a precedent,” he said. “Forty years ago, our former foreign minister, Humayun Rashid Choudhury, was elected President of the United Nations General Assembly. I served as his personal secretary and worked closely with him. He was able to perform both responsibilities on a full-time basis.”

Rahman noted that Choudhury had managed both roles in the pre-internet era, while modern communication technology makes it even easier to carry out multiple responsibilities simultaneously.

 “At that time, there was no internet. Today, continuous communication allows you to perform both jobs together. It is quite normal now,” he said.

Responding to questions, he said, “Many have pointed out that the current President of the General Assembly was Germany’s foreign minister. But she left that position before taking office. The reality is that she was a leader of the Green Party, and after her party lost the election, he could no longer remain foreign minister.”

Rahman dedicated his election victory to Bangladesh’s future and credited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for providing decisive support for the campaign.

 “This victory belongs to Bangladesh. This victory belongs to the Prime Minister,” he said. “I want to thank him. Had he not taken this decision and supported us firmly, unwaveringly and without hesitation, we could not have completed in ten weeks a journey that normally takes ten years. We dedicate this victory to the future of Bangladesh.”

The election for the presidency of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly was held by secret ballot at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday. Rahman’s opponent was Cyprus’s Special Envoy for Multilateral Affairs, Andreas Kakouris.

Of the 190 votes cast by UN member states, Khalilur Rahman secured 99 votes, while Kakouris received 91, giving the Bangladeshi candidate victory by an eight-vote margin.

The election marks Bangladesh’s return to the prestigious position after four decades. Rahman becomes only the second Bangladeshi to be elected President of the UN General Assembly after former foreign minister and parliament speaker Humayun Rashid Choudhury, who held the office during the 41st session of the General Assembly in 1986.

Khalilur Rahman will preside over the 81st session of the General Assembly for a one-year term, placing Bangladesh once again at the centre of global multilateral diplomacy.

mirmostafiz@yahoo.com