Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman has launched a high-level diplomatic drive in London to secure international support for Bangladesh’s candidature for the Presidency of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Leading the Bangladesh delegation at the 26th Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting (CFAMM) at Lancaster House, Dr. Rahman held a series of bilateral meetings with key global counterparts to mobilize backing for the upcoming election.

In a significant meeting with the UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs, Yvette Cooper, both sides discussed strengthening bilateral ties and outlined future cooperation.

Accompanied by the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Humayun Kabir, the Foreign Minister also met with Canada’s Parliamentary Secretary Robert Oliphant and the Foreign Ministers of South Africa, Antigua and Barbuda, and Ghana.

Diplomatic sources indicate that the London meetings served as a strategic platform for Bangladesh to consolidate support following the withdrawal of Palestine’s candidacy. Bangladesh is now set to contest the position against Cyprus.

The election for the 2026–2027 term is scheduled for June 2 at the UN Headquarters in New York. If successful, this would mark Bangladesh's first time leading the UNGA since 1986-87, when Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury served as President.

The Foreign Minister’s itinerary also includes attending the Commonwealth Day celebrations at Westminster Abbey and a reception at St. James’s Palace.

The CFAMM gathering, which brought together representatives from 56 member states, focused on addressing global challenges and setting the agenda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) later this year.