Khalilur Rahman (economist)
Former civil servant and Foreign Minister of Bangladesh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Khalilur Rahman (Bengali: খালিলুর রহমান;) is a Bangladeshi diplomat and economist, and president-elect of the 81st United Nations General Assembly. He has served in various senior positions in international development, diplomacy, and public policy. He is the incumbent minister of foreign affairs of Bangladesh, having assumed office in February 2026. Prior to his appointment, he worked extensively with the United Nations system and international organizations on issues related to economic development, migration, and global governance.[1]
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Khalilur Rahman | |
|---|---|
খলিলুর রহমান | |
Rahman in 2026 | |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | |
| Assumed office 17 February 2026 | |
| Prime Minister | Tarique Rahman |
| Preceded by | Md. Touhid Hossain |
| President-elect of the United Nations General Assembly | |
| Assuming office 10 September 2026 | |
| Succeeding | Annalena 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 by | Tarique Ahmed Siddique |
| Succeeded by | AKM Shamsul Islam |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 April 1954 |
| Party | Independent |
| Children | 2 |
| Residential Model College (HSC) ubl| University of Dhaka (BA)| Tufts University (MA)| Harvard University (PhD)}} | |
Education
Rahman passed his HSC from Residential Model College and earned a first-class MA in Economics from the University of Dhaka and briefly worked at American Express International Bank in 1979.[2] He studied at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University and earned a MA in law and diplomacy. Then he studied at Harvard Kennedy School of Harvard University and earned his PhD degree in economics.[3]
Career
Rahman joined the Bangladesh Civil Service in 1979.[4]
He served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh and as Private Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.[5]
He was a spokesperson for Least Developed Countries at the United Nations Economic and Financial Committee and served at the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations from 1986 to 1991.[4] He also served as First Secretary.[6] He later served as Chief of the UNCTAD Secretariat’s New York office.[7]
In 1991, Rahman joined the United Nations Secretariat as a Special Adviser at UNCTAD in Geneva.[4] He served as Head of Economic, Social and Development Affairs at the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General and as Secretary of the Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on the Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries.[4] He also chaired the United Nations Interagency Group on Non-Tariff Barriers to Trade.[4]
He worked on United Nations reports related to least developed countries and contributed 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 least developed countries.[4]
In 2001, Rahman served briefly as Private Secretary to Justice Latifur Rahman, Chief Adviser of the caretaker government.[5]
He is a founding member of East West University in Dhaka and serves on its Board of Trustees.[8]
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In 2012, he was appointed Head of Policy Development, Coordination and Monitoring Service for 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.[4]
National Security Adviser and High Representative to the Chief Adviser on Rohingya Issue
Following the change of government in Bangladesh in 2024, Rahman was appointed High Representative to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on the Rohingya crisis and related issues on 19 November 2024.[9]
In April 2025, he was appointed National Security Adviser to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus while continuing as High Representative on the Rohingya crisis and related issues.[10]
In February 2026, he was appointed as a technocrat minister of foreign affairs in the Tarique Rahman ministry.[11][12]
In June 2026, Rahman was elected President of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. He is scheduled to assume office in September 2026.[13]
President of the United Nations General Assembly
On 2 June 2026, Rahman was elected to succeed Annalena Baerbock as President of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. 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][16]