Bhutan

I have the honour to convey to the President and all the members the warm greetings and good wishes of His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, King of Bhutan, for the success of the fifty-first session of the United Nations General Assembly. We congratulate Ambassador Razali on his unanimous election as President of the fifty-first session of the General Assembly. We are happy that a close friend of Bhutan is presiding over our deliberations. We are fully aware of his wide experience and deep interest in the United Nations. He is not only an outspoken critic of the shortcomings of the United Nations but is also one of its greatest supporters, and we look to this session with high expectations. I would like to express our deepest appreciation to His Excellency Mr. Diogo Freitas do Amaral for the exemplary manner in which he conducted the Special Commemorative Meeting of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations and the fiftieth session of the General Assembly. I am also grateful for the privilege of having had the opportunity to serve in his Bureau. We would also like to take this opportunity to pay a special tribute to the Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for his leadership in steering the United Nations through a period of many challenges and changes. Twenty-five years ago, on 21 September 1971, Bhutan became a Member of the United Nations. That day saw the fulfilment of a long-cherished dream and was a historic occasion on which the people of Bhutan joined hands with the international community. We have since taken great pride in our membership of the world body and have made great strides. Bhutan has stepped forward to take an active role by seeking membership in all major United Nations and other international bodies including the Bretton Woods institutions. Our membership of the United Nations has provided us with the opportunity to participate in all international discussions of importance. Our participation, which we consider both a privilege and an obligation, has always been guided by a positive attitude, seeking to contribute constructively and fairly. On the part of the international community, Bhutan has received an outpouring of goodwill and friendship. The United Nations and its agencies have come to our assistance with enthusiasm and dedication. Every sector in Bhutan has received the benefit of United Nations assistance, and the lives of the people of Bhutan have greatly improved. Today, the development of Bhutan rests in the hands of young Bhutanese, many of whom were trained through United Nations assistance. I take this opportunity to put on record the heartfelt gratitude of the people of Bhutan to the United Nations and international institutions, in particular the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Capital Development Fund, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Volunteers programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the World Bank and the African Development Bank, many of which have been working constructively in Bhutan for the last 25 years. Bhutan takes the opportunity of the twenty-fifth anniversary of our membership to rededicate ourselves to the principles of the United Nations and its Charter. As we rededicate ourselves to the United Nations and express our support and gratitude, we are conscious of the fact that the United Nations is at a crossroads, and that there is a struggle for the heart and soul of the Organization. The world has changed, and the United Nations too must change to meet the new realities. Today we would like to confine our remarks to a few areas which we feel need to be addressed in the process of reform and in preparing the United Nations for the next century. The increase in membership from the original 51 Members to the current 185 is the clearest indication that the United Nations is truly a global body. The representation and participation of all United Nations 15 Members in the General Assembly give true meaning and legitimacy to the United Nations, yet increasingly the General Assembly has little influence in the work of the United Nations. The role of the Assembly must be enhanced. It must become the centre of the United Nations and the source of both its moral and real authority. In order to do this, the General Assembly must change its own working methods, and its debates and agenda must be made more meaningful. It must become the point from which all United Nations policies emanate. The General Assembly’s relations with other principal organs and bodies of the United Nations must be streamlined and strengthened. The structure of other principal organs such as the Economic and Social Council must also be reviewed. In many of the principal organs, subsidiary bodies and commissions have taken a more prominent role than the organs themselves. While we agree that the more detailed work of implementing the technical aspects must be devolved to commissions and subsidiary bodies, policies must be made by the principal organs themselves. Many here will agree that the subsidiary bodies, committees, groups, and so forth, are too numerous to keep track of, let alone participate in. All United Nations bodies must finally be made accountable to the General Assembly. Unless this linkage is strengthened, many Members will be excluded from the activities of the United Nations. For many smaller Members, the possibility of being elected to and participating in many United Nations bodies is limited. Therefore, the General Assembly is of paramount importance for enhancing the participation and role of Member countries. In the area of peace and security, there is increasing concern that the United Nations is unable to maintain peace and provide security, particularly for its smaller and more vulnerable Members. This view seems to persist despite a number of successful interventions by the United Nations. There is growing frustration that the Security Council, the only body of the United Nations with any real authority, is unable to respond to the challenges posed by the present conflicts, and that the Security Council is primarily driven by the views of its major members. The need for reform and expansion is more and more keenly felt. In our view, there must be an increase in the number of both permanent and non-permanent members. Developing countries and deserving countries from all regions must be included in the ranks of permanent members. Using the objective criteria of equitable distribution, the ability to contribute to the work of the United Nations and the maintenance of international peace and security, Bhutan believes that India and Japan qualify for permanent membership of the Security Council. Expansion alone is not sufficient. The decision- making process of the Security Council, its relations with the General Assembly, and other powers such as the veto and the Council’s virtual hold over the appointment of judges of the International Court of Justice and other important positions in the United Nations, must be reviewed. Progress towards a world free of tension can only be made with disarmament that includes all types of weapons. While various steps have been taken towards easing the nuclear threat, no significant progress towards the goal of the complete elimination of all nuclear weapons has been made. We must not lose sight of the primary objective of the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. The disarmament dialogue must include all parties and address the genuine concerns of every Member State. A brisk international business in conventional arms continues to pose a threat to peace and security. As long as there is an unlimited supply of arms, their use in the settlement of disputes will continue. We must expand our initiatives at the United Nations to control the global arms trade. Bhutan supports the steps taken towards the elimination of chemical and biological weapons. The United Nations Register of Conventional Arms is a useful step. Efforts must also be redoubled to bring about a moratorium on the manufacture, sale and deployment of anti-personnel landmines, with the objective of eliminating this weapon which kills indiscriminately. With the major agreements and common ground arrived at during the United Nations global conferences of the 1990s, it was hoped that the stage had been set for fresh impetus and a new direction in international development. In reality the new era of development has continued to elude us. There is an emerging consensus that the new approach to development must be to concentrate on the well-being of the individual person and to release the productive capacity of the human spirit and of nations through social development, free markets, international trade and investment. While this strategy has brought progress to many countries, many poorer developing countries have not been able to compete and benefit, due to structural inadequacies in their economies or because of the small size of their markets. 16 To adapt to the new approaches to development, all United Nations agencies have to undergo major changes in their organization and operations. However, the resources available to United Nations agencies have declined both in actual and real terms. Many of them are unable to carry out programmes at the level of previous cycles. In these circumstances, many of the targets set in the major global conferences, whether in health, environment, population, education, or other social fields, may not be met. It is often said that the overall contribution of United Nations agencies to a country’s development is small. While this may be the case in larger countries, it should be pointed out that in many smaller countries the input of United Nations agencies plays a substantial role. It is unfortunate that the most far-reaching responsibility of the United Nations, which can make a lasting impact in improving the lives of millions of people, is being constrained and reduced at a time when more efforts are necessary. The efforts of the United Nations development bodies are of particular importance to the 48 least developed countries. It has become increasingly difficult for the concerns and needs of these countries to find a place in the international development dialogue. The United Nations, through the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and all other agencies, must ensure that the situation and the needs of the least developed countries are kept in focus and as part of any agenda for development. Otherwise we risk the further marginalization of a significant number of countries. The United Nations development agencies must ensure that the resources they spend in finding and developing new ideas and approaches are balanced and matched by programmes and resources in the field. The agencies and developing countries must work closely together in order to regain the confidence of the donor community. Bhutan strongly believes that the special role that many development agencies fulfil must not be allowed to diminish due to a lack of funds. Bhutan recognizes that developing countries must work closely with other major participants in the international development effort, such as financial institutions, bilateral donors and the world business community. Bhutan has greatly benefitted from the contributions and efforts of our bilateral donors. Their assistance has been utilized effectively and has contributed meaningfully to our development. We take this opportunity to express our gratitude to our bilateral donors, in particular India, Switzerland, Japan, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Norway, Kuwait, Germany, Australia and Thailand, for their cooperation and generous assistance. Allow me to express a few thoughts concerning the impact of reform on the United Nations. We are aware that the issue of reforming the United Nations system and its organizational structure is not new, and that it was raised just a few years after the establishment of the United Nations itself. However, the issue of organizational reform has taken on special significance in the last few years, given the financial situation of the United Nations and some of its major agencies. While the dialogue on reform of the United Nations continues, the Organization has had to implement major cuts in staff and activities. The morale of the international civil servants has been greatly affected. This situation should not be allowed to continue for long. All Member countries must take cognizance of these facts, work towards completing the reform process, and place the Organization on a firm financial footing at an early date. We must not be afraid of reform and change. Major changes have already been carried out, and there are still many areas which need to be addressed. However, it is our view that the process of reform of the Organization should be time-bound. A long, drawn out process with no end in sight will hinder the Organization in effectively carrying out the vast responsibilities we have assigned to it. The calls for change and reform of the United Nations, in their own way, are the best indicator of the strong support of its Members. The United Nations today has become an indispensable institution in international relations and development. It is up to us, the Member States, to ensure that it will be able to meet the aspirations and expectations of all its Members, large and small. It must become the source of inspiration for all and a guiding beacon that will take the world to the next millennium of peace and prosperity for all the peoples and nations of the world.