The UN General Assembly has elected Naseer Ahmad Faiq, Afghanistan’s chargé d’affaires to the United Nations, as a vice president of the body’s 81st session.
The election took place alongside the selection of Khalilur Rahman, Bangladesh’s permanent representative to the UN, as president of the upcoming session, as well as the appointment of officers for the Assembly’s main committees.
In a statement, Faiq welcomed the appointment and said Afghanistan looked forward to working closely with the president-elect and member states to advance the work of the General Assembly.
“Afghanistan is pleased to be elected as one of the vice presidents of this session and hopes to contribute effectively to advancing the objectives and responsibilities of the General Assembly during this important period,” he said.
Rahman was elected on Tuesday after receiving 99 votes in a secret ballot at UN headquarters in New York, defeating Cyprus’s Andreas S. Kakouris, who received 91 votes. A total of 190 ballots were cast, with no abstentions.
He will succeed Germany’s Annalena Baerbock, who currently serves as president of the General Assembly’s 80th session.
The president of the General Assembly presides over meetings of the 193-member body and helps guide discussions on major international issues, although the position does not carry executive authority within the United Nations.
Rahman’s one-year term, along with that of the vice presidents, will begin when the General Assembly’s 81st session opens in September 2026.
