My country is most happy to
welcome South Sudan as a member of the United
Nations family. I now seek the permission of the
Members to speak on the subject of happiness.
Since joining the United Nations 41 years ago,
Bhutan has always maintained a long-term and broad
perspective on the purpose of this great Organization,
which is to create a secure and harmonious society. But
in the many times that I have participated in the United
Nations General Assembly over the last 25 years, I
cannot recall a session that gave me reason for hope for
the future of humanity, except once. That was when the
cold war came to a thundering halt, and a euphoric
world saw it as the dawn of a new era. I was then a
young ambassador excited by the prospects of peace
dividends. Instead, what followed was a sense of
betrayal and disillusionment, as the world became ever
more divided and insecure.
We gather before this high podium, year after
year, and make of this annual gathering a mournful
event. We speak of what ought to be, of promises
broken and opportunities lost. We speak of endless
conflicts within and among nations, of the failures of
Governments, of frequent and devastating disasters, of
diminishing resources and fierce competition for their
control, of dying ecosystems and new threatening
diseases and epidemics, and of financial calamities and
economic ruin. We speak of rising unemployment,
hopeless poverty, hunger and destitution. And of
course, we talk of solutions.
Lacking the political will and, indeed, clarity of
vision, we deny with clever arguments what we know
to be the cause of our predicaments. So we go on doing
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what is irrational. We continue to acquire arms to
prevent war; answer climate change with more harmful
emissions; race to extract, produce and consume more
in the face of depleting resources; fuel faltering
economies with debt and greed; and enable the wealthy
to widen the deep crevasses that separate the rich from
the poor. We idealize individualism as family and
community crumble amid rising social dislocation,
crime, mental illness, loneliness and suicide.
For too long, we have ignored the truth that the
causes of all those problems are interrelated and that
durable remedies must be found through a rational and
holistic approach. For too long, we have refused to
accept that economic models focused on gross
domestic product have served their useful purpose and
that we need to switch tracks. Guided by the misbelief
that life satisfaction is about material pursuit and
accumulation and that good economics is about
limitless growth, our economic development processes
have created the monster of a consumerist market
economy.
However, the market gives no satisfaction. It
enslaves humanity and thrives on the insatiable nature
of our greed. As slaves, our value as individuals and
nations is measured by the extent of our economic
productivity and consumption capacity. That sad
transformation, from humans into voracious beasts,
comes at the cost of our physical, psychological and
spiritual well-being. It is destroying our natural life-
support systems and threatening our long-term
survival. But that need not be so.
Humankind is in need of a clear vision that
transcends the diversity of our cultures, thoughts and
circumstances and binds us to a common pursuit. We
need a different development paradigm that is guided
by a vision that is holistic, sustainable, inclusive and
humane. Such a vision can take civilization forward
and enable it to sustain the progress that it has created
and must continue to make.
It is therefore with a great sense of joy that my
country welcomed resolution 65/309, entitled
“Happiness: towards a holistic approach to
development”. Introduced by Bhutan and sponsored by
68 Member States, it was adopted unanimously without
a vote in July. Through that resolution, Member States
adopted a universal goal, while acknowledging the
limitations of our conventional development processes.
It commits our nations to creating the necessary
political, social and economic conditions to enable the
pursuit of happiness by citizens within a stable
environment.
My delegation is of the firm conviction that
happiness or well-being, as it is promoted in my
country, would be against a well-developed set of
indices, a natural progression from the Millennium
Development Goals, which aim to establish the
minimum conditions for human survival and the basis
for development. It is, indeed, a universal value that
binds the rich and the poor, and the developed and the
developing, and articulates the ultimate purpose of life.
It is about making true societal progress in ways that
are meaningful, joyful and lasting.
In that regard, I am happy to report that my
Government, in collaboration with the United Nations
Development Programme, the Earth Institute of
Columbia University and leading scientists and
thinkers on the science and economics of happiness,
are working in concert to prepare the panel discussion
stipulated by the resolution. Proposed to be held in
New York in the spring of 2012 before the United
Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, the
meeting will endeavour to present to Member States a
set of policy recommendations in their pursuit of
happiness as they work in harmonious collaboration
with each other with a shared and clear sense of
purpose. We look forward to Members’ participation in
that meeting.
My delegation remains fully committed to the
promotion of a sustainable and progressive human
civilization within a peaceful and secure environment.
To that happy end, Bhutan is prepared to share its
experience and the modest development achievements
made with the support of our generous partners. Our
attempts to promote equitable and sustainable social
economic growth are bearing fruit within a rich
biodiversity that includes a forest cover that has
expanded from 64 per cent to 81 per cent in four
decades. Today, Bhutan is the only country that has
pledged to remain carbon neutral forever. Our social
and cultural values remain vital, even as we embrace
globalization and its many offerings. We have
successfully and smoothly transited from an absolute
monarchy to a fully fledged and vibrant democracy.
For those reasons and out of a sense of duty and
obligation, my country aspires to serve as a non-permanent
member on the Security Council for the biennium
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2013-2014. Having been a member of the United
Nations for 41 years and never having served on the
Council, while having fully enjoyed the benefits of
membership, we wish to contribute as a small State for
small States. We believe that we can bring to the
Security Council a fresh and holistic perspective on
peace and security beyond its narrow confines and
open it to new and innovative approaches to fulfilling
its important mandate. My country is of the firm belief
that maintaining peace and security is not only about
preventing war. It is about recognizing and forging the
will to deal with all forms of threat to the survival,
progress and happiness of human society.
Yes, I speak of a dream, but it is possible. As
leaders and representatives of our peoples, we must
dare to dream and find the courage and determination
to pursue the highest of ideals. That is how happiness
is to be fashioned. Blessings and good luck!
My country prays for Members’ support to give
Bhutan an opportunity to contribute to the realization
of shared dreams. I wish participants happiness.