Khalilur Rahman (;) is a Bangladeshi diplomat and economist, and a former official of the United Nations. He has served in various senior positions in international development, diplomacy, and public policy. He is the incumbent minister of foreign affairs of Bangladesh, having assumed office in February 2026. Prior to his appointment, he worked extensively with the United Nations system and international organizations on issues related to economic development, migration, and global governance.
Rahman earned a first-class MA in Economics from the University of Dhaka and briefly worked at American Express International Bank in 1979. He studied at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University and earned a MA in law and diplomacy. Then he studied at Harvard Kennedy School of Harvard University and earned his PhD degree in economics.
Rahman joined the foreign service through the Bangladesh Civil Service in 1979.
Rahman diplomatic tenure includes roles in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and as Private Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was a spokesperson for Least Developed Countries at the UN Economic and Financial Committee. He served in the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations from 1986 to 1991. He was the first secretary. He served as the Chief of the UNCTAD secretariat's New York office.
In 1991, Rahman joined the Secretary-General of the United Nations as a Special Adviser at UNCTAD in Geneva. He served as the Head of Economic, Social, and Development Affairs at the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General, and the Secretary of the Secretary-General's High-level Panel on Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries. He was the Chair of the United Nations Interagency Group on Non-Tariff Barriers to Trade.
Rahman contributed significantly to flagship UN reports and played a key role in drafting the Programme of Action for the 2001 Brussels LDCs Conference, introducing duty- and quota-free access for LDC exports.
In 2001, Rahman briefly served as private Secretary to Justice Latifur Rahman, Chief Adviser of the caretaker government.
A founding member of East West University in Dhaka, Rahman continues to served on its Board of Trustees.
In 2012, he was appointed head of Policy Development, Coordination and Monitoring Service for the Least Developed Countries at United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.
Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina led Awami League government, Rahman was appointed an ambassador of Muhmmad Yunus, head of the interim government, on Rohingya issue and other key priorities. He went on an official trip to Kunming, China, accompanying Ferdousi Shahriar, director general of the Myanmar wing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from 28 February to 2 March 2025.