I have the honour to convey to the President of the General Assembly, and through him to all representatives, the warm greetings and good wishes of His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, King of Bhutan, for the success of the fiftieth session of the General Assembly. I offer Mr. Freitas do Amaral the felicitations of my delegation on his election as President of this historic session. His election to this high office is a tribute to him personally and to his country, Portugal, which has always played an active role in the United Nations. My delegation wishes also to pay a tribute to His Excellency Mr. Amara Essy of Côte d’Ivoire for his skilful stewardship at the forty-ninth session. His presidency has enhanced the esteem of the international community for him and for Côte d’Ivoire. We also take this opportunity to welcome the Republic of Palau into our family of nations. Its participation will greatly enrich our Organization. This session is of especial significance for all of us as we celebrate the passing of 50 years since the birth of the United Nations. It is heartening to note that the grand and lofty vision which inspired our founding fathers still continues to inspire and guide us. More than ever before, we see today the evidence of the collective human will to unite against threats and obstacles to the survival and continued progress of mankind. The participation of no fewer than 150 Heads of State or Government in the special commemorative meeting later this month is glowing testimony to our abiding faith in this world body. The Intergovernmental High-level Meeting on the Mid-term Global Review of the Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the 1990s was held in New York recently. The least developed countries as a group have not been able to meet many of the objectives of the Programme of Action and their overall socio-economic situation has continued to deteriorate. Some of the factors responsible for this deterioration are, internally, civil strife and natural 25 disasters with their resulting consequences and, externally, the debt problem, low levels of export and an inadequate flow of external finance. These countries have, however, continued to implement wide-ranging reforms and in some countries these efforts have shown positive results. A number of development partners have provided increased support to the least-developed countries, for which we are truly grateful. We believe that the least developed countries have the primary responsibility for their own development, and with the support of the international community they hope to alleviate the desperate plight of their peoples. The Least Developed Countries Division of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development deserves praise for the excellent documentation it provided for the recent intergovernmental meeting on the least developed countries. Earlier this year, we supported the indefinite extension of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). This was followed shortly thereafter by several nuclear tests — in what we believe is a contravention of the spirit of the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the NPT. We are increasingly concerned about the fate of the comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty and our ultimate goal of eliminating all nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. The maintenance of global peace and security still remains the most pressing challenge for the United Nations. It has become the yardstick by which the United Nations is today being judged. Increasingly, concerns are expressed as to whether the United Nations is able to carry out this task. The tragic situations in Somalia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Rwanda demonstrate the inability of the international community to put an end to the immeasurable suffering of the innocent victims. Such cases raise an important issue. The number of peace-keeping missions has grown exponentially. The past year has seen 18 peace-keeping missions involving 78,000 peace-keepers. The good news is that the United Nations has a vital, ever-growing role to play in keeping the peace and allowing combatants a breathing period in which to come to the negotiating table. The down side is that the peace-keeping missions are a considerable drain on the finances of the United Nations. Expenditures for peace-keeping operation are now more than three times the entire budget for development. Surely development merits high priority as well. The most serious obstacles to sustainable global development are the fast pace of population growth and the increasing degradation of the environment. The situation is worst in the countries that are least able to bear the burden and where there is already an appalling disequilibrium between people and resources. The more advanced countries may delay their confrontation with the environmental crisis but unless these issues are addressed today, we may see the collapse of vital resources and climatic changes in many parts of the world and new security threats resulting from poverty and chaos. This is aggravated by the fact that the most significant developments in the world economy are taking place outside the United Nations, and our Organization is being increasingly marginalized on economic, financial and trade issues. It is important that the world continue to keep investing in people, especially women and children, and that it meet their basic needs in education, health and social welfare. The historic United Nations conferences of this decade on children, environment, human rights, population, social development and women embody the irreversible commitment of the international community to chart a new course for the future. My country is firmly committed to the goals set by these conferences. I wish to acknowledge the special contribution of the United Nations to the development of my country. The United Nations has been actively involved in every sphere of development in Bhutan, and has been responsible for helping us set out on the right path of sustainable development. Every effort has been made on our part to ensure that all assistance received has been properly utilized and meaningful results achieved. I express the profound gratitude of the people of Bhutan to the donor community, which supports the United Nations development activities. We have particularly benefited from the activities of the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Capital Development Fund, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the United Nations Volunteer Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. They have contributed much to the welfare of our people. We are also grateful to our bilateral donors, particularly India, Switzerland, Japan, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Norway, Kuwait, Germany, Australia, Thailand, and the United Kingdom for their cooperation and support. The Working Group on the Strengthening of the United Nations System will once again look at streamlining the Organization. Reform of several aspects of the United Nations system is vital, especially as we 26 confront the many challenges of the twenty-first century. There must be better distribution of power within the United Nations. The crippling financial situation caused by large arrears by Member States must be overcome. It is also time to examine the new mechanisms for meeting the financial requirements of the United Nations. My delegation feels that a proper study should be made and reported to the Assembly at an early date. In our view, the innovative idea of a small levy on international air travel proposed by the Foreign Minister of Australia, Senator Gareth Evans, is sound and practical. We are of the considered view that the Security Council must be expanded to give greater representation to developing countries in order to uphold the principles of equity and justice. Many least-developed countries like Bhutan feel they are being increasingly marginalized by the new agendas and priorities of the United Nations. In our view, the United Nations must represent the interests of all countries equally, and not only those of a privileged few. We therefore support the expansion of the Security Council to facilitate more equitable representation of developing countries and deserving candidates that have emerged since the United Nations was established 50 years ago. As a fellow South Asian nation, and as a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, of which India is by far the largest member, we strongly support India’s inclusion in the permanent-member category of the Security Council. India’s candidature merits serious consideration on the grounds of equitable geographic representation, the large size and enormous potential of the Indian economy and the fact that one sixth of mankind lives in India. Before I conclude, I should like to join preceding speakers in paying tribute to the many organizations and individuals that serve with unfailing dedication and commitment to further the principles and purposes of the United Nations. I should like to pay a special tribute to Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the Secretary-General of the United Nations; to the late James Grant, former Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), who did so much for the world’s children; to the many Blue Helmets who have sacrificed their lives so that others may live in peace and security; and to the host of United Nations personnel and volunteers who have selflessly dedicated their lives to the service of others, sometimes serving under the most trying conditions.