Dr. Khalilur Rahman was elected this morning as President of the 81st session of the General Assembly, following the Rules of Procedure. In accordance with the established regional rotation, the President of the 81st session is from the Asia-Pacific Group. The two candidates, H.E. Mr. Khalilur Rahman (Bangladesh) and H.E. Mr. Andreas S. Kakouris (Cyprus), presented their vision and participated in interactive dialogues with Member States on 13 May. Watch the election !

A significant amount of the world’s population has not yet received a single vaccine, while other parts of the world believe the pandemic is almost over. To gain support from Member States, civil society and UN agencies, the President of the General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid has convened a high-level event, ‘Galvanizing Momentum for Universal Vaccination’, where over 100 speakers are scheduled to participate. In parallel, round table discussions are being held on existing challenges in vaccine production and distribution, innovations, and solutions to overcome current challenges.

H.E. Mr. Volkan Bozkir of Turkey will preside over the seventy-fifth session of the UN General Assembly from Tuesday, 15 September 2020, for one year. A career diplomat and politician for over 45 years, Mr. Bozkir has worked extensively on Turkey’s relations with the European Union, leading the reform agenda of his country. Presiding over the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the UN, Mr. Bozkir hopes to take full advantage of this historic anniversary to underline the irreplaceable nature of the rules-based international system, as well as the imperative to consolidate it.