More than four decades after Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman first addressed the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is set to carry the Zia family’s presence on the world’s largest diplomatic stage into a new era.

Tarique Rahman will address the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York on 24 September, becoming the third member of the Zia family to speak at the Assembly.

His father, Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, addressed the UN General Assembly for the first time on 26 August 1980. Thirteen years later, his mother, former Prime Minister the late Khaleda Zia, delivered her maiden address to the Assembly on 1 October 1993.

Tarique Rahman’s appearance will therefore mark another milestone in the Zia family’s more than four-decade association with the United Nations General Assembly.

A family’s evolving presence on global stage

When Ziaur Rahman addressed the UN General Assembly in 1980, his speech focused on some of the most pressing challenges facing the developing world.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly’s 11th Special Session, he drew attention to the widening gap between rich and poor nations, poverty, hunger and the challenges of economic development. He also stressed the need for greater international cooperation.

Ziaur Rahman questioned why poverty and hunger continued despite international commitments to development. He called for a world founded on mutual responsibility among nations, with peace, human dignity and justice as its guiding principles.

On 1 October 1993, Khaleda Zia followed him onto the same international platform when she addressed the General Assembly during its 48th session.

Her engagement with the UN continued over the following years. She spoke at the commemorative meeting marking the 50th anniversary of the United Nations in 1995 and at the 27th Special Session on Children in 2002. In 2005, she addressed two separate meetings during the 60th session of the General Assembly.

According to UN records, Khaleda Zia took part in General Assembly proceedings five times between 1993 and 2005.

Now, in 2026, Tarique Rahman is set to make his own debut on the same stage as Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

What Bangladesh will take to the Assembly

The Prime Minister’s address is expected to present Bangladesh’s outlook and priorities to world leaders at a time when global challenges are increasingly interconnected.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs-1 Humayun Kabir said Tarique Rahman would outline Bangladesh’s new outlook and future plans. According to him, the speech will focus on the country’s democratic transformation, future development priorities, global peace and sustainable solutions to international crises.

Poverty eradication, Bangladesh’s economic potential, climate action and climate finance will also feature in the Prime Minister’s address, Kabir said.

The Rohingya crisis is expected to remain a major priority during the visit.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs-2 Shama Obaed Islam said Tarique Rahman would leave Dhaka for New York on Monday, 21 September, to attend the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. He is scheduled to address the Assembly on 24 September.

Climate change will receive particular attention, she said, adding that Bangladesh will place its position and priorities on the issue before the international community.

A significant moment for Bangladesh

The 81st session has an added significance for Bangladesh: Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman is serving as President of the UN General Assembly.

The Assembly’s general debate is scheduled for 22, 26 and 28 September, bringing together heads of state and government and other high-level representatives from around the world.

For Bangladesh, the occasion provides an opportunity to present its priorities directly to the international community on issues ranging from development and climate change to global peace and the Rohingya crisis.

For the Zia family, however, the occasion carries a longer historical resonance.

Ziaur Rahman’s appearance at the UN in 1980 marked the beginning. Khaleda Zia’s repeated participation between 1993 and 2005 maintained that presence across successive years. Tarique Rahman’s address in 2026 will now extend that history to a third generation of the family’s political leadership.

More than 40 years after his father first took the podium, and more than three decades after his mother first addressed the Assembly, Tarique Rahman will stand before the same international forum.

His speech on 24 September will thus be not only his first address to the UN General Assembly as Prime Minister, but also the latest chapter in the Zia family’s long engagement with the United Nations and the international community.