Palestine withdraws UNGA presidency bid

Palestine has withdrawn its candidature for the presidency of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for the 2026-2027 term, reports UNB.

Following the withdrawal of the Palestinian candidature, Bangladesh will now compete with Cyprus, a diplomatic source told the news agency on Thursday.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has nominated Foreign Minister (FM) Dr Khalilur Rahman for the position, said the source.

The election of the President of the United Nations General Assembly for the eighty first session will be held on June 2 in the General Assembly Hall, UNHQs, in line with Rule 30 of the Rules of Procedure.

In accordance with the established regional rotation, the President of the eighty first session of the General Assembly will be elected from the Asia Pacific Group.

The President of the eightieth session of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock will convene the informal interactive dialogues with the candidates in May 2026.

The 81st session of the UNGA will open on September 8, 2026, with the high-level General Debate beginning on September 22, 2026.