The 2026 UNGA Presidential Election: Strategic Visions and the Challenge of Youth Integration

14-05-2026

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is the organisation's primary policy-making, deliberative, and representative body, and the only forum where all 193 Member States hold an equal vote. The President of the General Assembly (PGA) is the official elected to lead the body’s work for a one-year mandate, known as a "Session". The PGA presides over meetings, sets the agenda, facilitates complex international negotiations, and serves as the Assembly's diplomatic leader.

The principle of rotation in the General Assembly’s leadership is not only an administrative formality. It is an important safeguard that prevents the global agenda from becoming the monopoly of a single region or power. This annual succession forces the system to deliver the promise of sovereign equality, giving even smaller states the leverage needed to influence global priorities.

Candidate: Andreas S. Kakouris (Cyprus)

The first candidate for the position of PGA is Andreas S. Kakouris (Cyprus). He is the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus and a diplomat with extensive European experience. His vision is structured around three priority pillars that support the institutional objective:

  • Peace and Security: A Human-Centred Approach – Proposing the prioritisation of political solutions and prevention under the "Silencing the Guns" initiative, to ensure inclusive global justice.
  • Development and Resilience: The Climate-Ocean-Disaster Nexus – Aiming to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs by 2030, focusing on countries in special situations and the reduction of inequalities.
  • Legal Cooperation – Emphasising the implementation of existing legal instruments, such as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and committing to operationalising the Loss and Damage Fund for vulnerable states.

Candidate: Dr Khalilur Rahman (Bangladesh)

The second candidate is Dr Khalilur Rahman, a diplomat, economist, and the current Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, who was appointed on 17 February 2026. His career spans over four decades in national governance and international diplomacy. His vision is structured around six interconnected pillars aimed at addressing the challenges of the 21st century:

  • Peace, Security, and Justice ("Silencing the guns, making voices heard"): This pillar proposes prioritising political solutions and the protection of civilians to ensure lasting peace, drawing on Bangladesh's extensive experience in peacekeeping operations.
  • Sustainable Development and SDG Acceleration: His vision aims to speed up the implementation of the SDGs by transforming the General Assembly into a vehicle for course-correction, placing a strong emphasis on vulnerable nations and the reform of the global financial architecture.
  • Climate Resilience ("Our Planet, Our Pact"): This advocates for meeting the commitments of the Paris Agreement and operationalising the Loss and Damage Fund to protect communities impacted by the climate crisis and sea-level rise.
  • Human Rights and Humanitarian Action: He advocates for the strengthening of human rights protection mechanisms and ensuring an efficient humanitarian system based on global solidarity and shared responsibility.
  • Innovation and Digital Governance: This focuses on the inclusive governance of artificial intelligence and investments in connectivity to bridge digital divides and support youth employment.
  • UN Reform and Reimagined Multilateralism.

Dr Khalilur Rahman concludes his manifesto with a call for unity, asserting that the UN's mission to "save humanity from hell" remains as relevant as ever. If elected, he pledges to rebuild trust through good-faith negotiations, demonstrating that multilateralism remains indispensable for a future of global peace and prosperity.

Youth Representation and the Budget Crisis

The Group of the European Youth for Change (GEYC) from Romania and the Prisma European Network addressed a question to the candidate from Bangladesh. Our representative, Gabriel Brezoiu, drew attention to the 2026 UN budget crisis, which has led to a reduction in the organisation's physical footprint. He pointed out that this situation creates a "representation gap" that risks excluding youth and civil society from global governance. The intervention sought to understand how Dr Khalilur Rahman would build a "digitally resilient United Nations" based on direct virtual engagement.

In response to concerns regarding youth representation, the candidate emphasised that the United Nations' long-term institutional legitimacy and future utility rely fundamentally on its capacity to effectively engage younger generations.

Drawing upon empirical evidence of a recent, successful youth-led democratic transition in his home country, he highlighted the proven efficacy of students in high-level political decision-making. While acknowledging a modern decline in the UN's traditional appeal despite continued interest in initiatives like Model UN, the candidate argued against superficial outreach strategies.

Instead, he advocated for the systemic integration of young people into the organisation's core deliberative processes to ensure its sustained relevance and robust representation in global governance over the coming decades.