I offer my delegation’s
congratulations to the President for his election as the
President of the General Assembly at its sixty-second
session and assure him of our support and cooperation.
My delegation would also like to convey our
appreciation to his predecessor, Sheikha Haya Rashed
Al-Khalifa, for the able manner in which she guided
the work of the Assembly at the sixty-first session. We
also convey our appreciation to the Secretary-General,
Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for the excellent leadership he
provides to our Organization.
We are gratified that climate change and the
Millennium Development Goals are among the top
priorities of this session’s presidency. The irony of
climate change is that its worst impact will be on the
developing world, particularly small and island
developing countries, who are least responsible for the
problem. As complex as the issue is, climate change is
inextricably linked to development and the debate
engenders issues of equity, fairness and the right of
countries to grow economically. The challenges of
climate change must, therefore, be addressed within the
framework of sustainable development bearing in mind
the principle of common but differentiated
responsibilities.
Bhutan has two major concerns about climate
change. First is the potential adverse impact on
agriculture, which is the mainstay of 79 per cent of our
population. Second, more serious and immediate, is the
rate at which Himalayan glaciers are receding. Bhutan
has approximately 3,000 glacial lakes, of which 24
have been identified as potentially dangerous. Floods
caused by glacial lake outbursts have caused
devastation in the past, and future outbursts will be far
worse. Our capacity to carry out research, monitor
developments, forecast outbursts and take mitigation
measures is severely constrained by a lack of scientific,
technical and financial resources.
In the Millennium Declaration of 2000, world
leaders undertook to channel the fruits of globalization
to benefit all people and lift one sixth of humanity
from extreme poverty. At the midpoint between the
adoption of the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) and the target date of 2015, reports, including
the 2007 Millennium Development Goals Report,
provide a mixed picture at best. The Secretary-General
has rightly said that the world does not need new
promises to achieve the MDGs. What is needed is
urgent and concerted action by political leaders and
stakeholders to meet, in their entirety, the commitments
made in the Millennium Declaration and in the
Monterrey Consensus adopted at the 2002 International
Conference on Financing for Development and at the
2005 World Summit.
The 2006 midterm comprehensive global review
of the implementation of the Programme of Action for
the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2001-
2010 revealed that the least developed countries were
unlikely to achieve all the goals and objectives of the
Programme of Action, and therefore the MDGs, if
trends continued. It is the moral and political
imperative of the international community to help the
least developed countries through strong supportive
global programmes, measures and policies. However,
one year later, the situation remains largely unchanged.
Geographical constraints present enormous
challenges to landlocked developing countries. Bhutan
is working closely with the group of landlocked
developing countries to address those challenges
through the cooperation of transit countries and the
international community. The needs of the landlocked
countries are well-documented and there is a road map
for global partnership set out in the Almaty Programme
of Action.
Bhutan has made tremendous socio-economic
progress during the past 45 years. However, there are
many hurdles to overcome before we can stand on our
own feet and be self-reliant. We are determined to
achieve the cherished goal of self-reliance at the
earliest time possible. Until then, we will have to rely
on external assistance and support. Here, I would like
to record my country’s appreciation to bilateral and
multilateral donors.
We hope that under the leadership of the
President the Assembly will undertake results-oriented
intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council
reform in order to bring that issue to its logical
conclusion. As we have stated before, Bhutan supports
India, Japan and their G4 group partners for permanent
membership. We also support Africa’s claim for
permanent seats.
My country has as much interest in the work of
the Security Council as others and would like to see it
adapt to current demands and realities. Since becoming
a Member in 1971, my country has served in a number
of important bodies of the United Nations, but not in
the Security Council. We are confident of our capacity
to contribute directly to the work of the Council.
Bhutan therefore announced in 1999 its candidature for
a non-permanent seat for the period 2013-2014. If
realized, Bhutan would gain entry into the Council
after four decades in the United Nations. It is our
sincere hope that the General Assembly will support
Bhutan’s candidacy during the elections in 2012.
Terrorism strikes at the very foundation of
humanism and cannot be justified under any
circumstances. This evil must be countered through
cooperation at the bilateral, regional and global levels.
At the global level, greater efforts must be made to
implement the United Nations Global Counter-
Terrorism Strategy and conclude a comprehensive
convention on international terrorism. Within our
region, the leaders of the South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation, at their 14th summit meeting,
held in New Delhi in April 2007, reaffirmed their
commitment to collectively fight terrorism. That is a
positive development, but more needs to be done to rid
the region of this menace.
Allow me to briefly apprise this body of
developments in my country. The development model
pursued by Bhutan is based on the philosophy of
“Gross National Happiness”, a concept conceived by
our fourth King, His Majesty Jigme Singye
Wangchuck, in the early 1970s. Gross National
Happiness is premised on the belief that, if happiness is
the ultimate desire of every individual, then it is the
responsibility and purpose of the State to create
conditions that enable citizens to realize this desire. We
are glad that the concept of Gross National Happiness
is drawing increasing global attention and we stand
ready to share our experiences in this regard.
Bhutan is now set on the irreversible path to a
full-fledged democratic constitutional monarchy. The
people of Bhutan are looking forward to 2008, when
parliamentary democracy will be introduced. Next
year, Bhutan will also celebrate the formal coronation
of His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and
the centenary of the Wangchuck dynasty. As we stand
at the threshold of these momentous developments, the
people of Bhutan look to our friends and well-wishers
and the global community for support and inspiration.
Before I conclude, allow me to refer to the
comments made yesterday by the honourable Foreign
Minister of Nepal regarding the problem of the people
in camps in Nepal. As her comments were less than
objective, it is important that misperceptions be
clarified. It is disingenuous on her part to blame
Bhutan for the lack of progress in our bilateral talks
when it is widely known that disruptions to the
bilateral process resulted from the political instability
in her country, which were accompanied by frequent
changes of Government and positions on the issue.
Bhutan for its part has always been committed to the
bilateral process and has not deviated from the
understandings and agreements reached between the
two countries.
The issue is a highly complex one that does not
lend itself to conventional solutions. The genesis of the
problem lies in illegal immigration. The camps were
established without any screening procedures when
only 304 people, claiming to be refugees from Bhutan,
arrived in eastern Nepal. Screening procedures were
put in place by the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees only after two and a half
years, and by then the number had reached its present
proportion. In view of the complexity of the issue, the
two Governments had agreed that the bilateral process
was the only way to find a solution. In this regard, we
appreciate the offer of the United States of America
and other countries for third country resettlement, as it
would help address that humanitarian problem.
While the Royal Government remains committed
to the bilateral process, it has serious security concerns
with Maoist infiltration of the camps and the formation
of several radical groups, who have publicly stated
their objective of destabilizing Bhutan and disrupting
the country’s first parliamentary elections next year.
In conclusion, I would like to once again convey
my delegation’s full support to the President and wish
the General Assembly every success at it sixty-second
session. Tashi delek.