Bhutan, 2012

As with most sessions of

the General Assembly, we are sharing, yet again, our

common fears and frustrations in a world that is going

wrong. We have no stories, only f leeting moments,

with which to fill our sinking hearts with hope in a

near or distant future. Ours is a narrative of mounting

challenges and doubts. Deep in our hearts, we know that

our very survival on this fragile planet is under threat.

Yet, we share no common vision and fail to think and

act in concert and with faith. And so we find ourselves

being overwhelmed by the forces that our irresponsible

and discordant actions have unleashed. All that we have

achieved individually, as nations, as regions and as a

species, faces the threat of loss and reversal. As we

argue and falter, the world we have built is falling apart.

Climate is changing and ecosystems are dying. The

growing extractive industry spurred by consumerism is

exhausting our natural resources, and conflicts are rising

in number and more are looming on the horizon. Food

and energy are becoming costlier, thereby deepening

poverty, inequality and discontent. Economies are

unravelling; jobs and security are being lost. For too

many, basic human rights and dignity remain beyond

reach, and the relevance of Governments and States is

in question. Families and communities are losing their

resilience, and society is crumbling.

I have reminded the Assembly each year that the

solutions we speak of and the measures we take to

meet all these challenges and many others plaguing

mankind are of the kind that address the symptoms but

aggravate the deeper malaise. We are discovering that

our problems — be they economic, social, ecological

or even political — are interconnected and rooted in the folly of mankind’s pursuit of the wrong ends in

wrongful ways.

Although the United Nations has been a house of

gloom in recent years, it does have its shining moments,

projecting rays of hope. The Secretary-General referred

to some of these in his address that focused on sounding

the alarm about our direction as a human family. One

such moment came when this great body resolved that

it was time to accept human well-being and happiness

as a developmental goal binding all of humankind

with a common vision and pursuit, and that it should

therefore bring about a holistic, sustainable and

inclusive approach to development. That determination

caused my country to host a high-level meeting here at

the United Nations, which brought together more than

800 participants from all walks of life and all over the

world. I was awed, humbled and indeed inspired by the

phenomenal response to our call. It was a gathering of

extraordinary minds and concerned citizens, moved by

the urgent need for change — to blaze a new global path

to human happiness and the well-being of life on earth.

Yet another moment came just months ago when the

General Assembly declared 20 March the International

Day of Happiness, thereby bringing together all human

beings, at least once a year, to reflect on the meaning

and purpose of life and realign our thoughts and actions.

Three months ago, 40,000 representatives

gathered for the United Nations Conference on

Sustainable Development. The outcome document

(resolution 66/288, annex) fell far short of what we

ought to have achieved. Many saw it as a missed

opportunity. Not so for my country and people, who,

with minimal expectations, came away with cause for

hope. The agreement to develop universal sustainable

development goals that would integrate the economic,

environmental and social dimensions of development

was a substantive outcome, consistent with relevant

General Assembly resolutions and the efforts that my

own country is making. My country hopes to participate

actively in this work and sees it as evidence of the

growing convergence in the belief that we need to make

a break with the past and agree on a collective vision.

It is our expectation that such sustainable development

goals will steer the post-2015 international development

agenda and set humankind on the right course.

What inspired me most at Rio was the indomitable

spirit of the hundreds of side events, several of which I

was honoured to participate in. These were organized by

civil society, grass-roots organizations and the private sector. They came to share best practices and learn

from each other, and, more important, to demonstrate

that sustainable development is not just an idle dream

but that there are individuals and organizations who are

breathing and living lives to realize what is profound

and necessary. While many of them went home

disappointed by the outcome document, I know it is not

in their creed to despair. They are the pioneers, taking

the lead where Governments fear to tread, and giving

courageous expression to humankind’s basic goodness

and inherent wisdom. They are the torchbearers of a

brave new dawn, and we too must have the wisdom and

humility to follow their lead.

I am also inspired by the appointment of a high-level

panel by the Secretary-General to advise on the global

development agenda beyond 2015, which, we note,

convened its first meeting earlier this week. Moreover,

the launch of the Sustainable Development Solutions

Network, led by Jeffrey Sachs, is to be welcomed,

as is the Secretary-General’s personal commitment

to enriching the discourse on the future of our race.

For our part, I would like to submit that Bhutan has

initiated a number of steps in the same direction,

pursuant to the recommendation issued at the 2 April

High-level Meeting on Well-being and Happiness here

at the United Nations.

In July, His Majesty the King of Bhutan established

a working group of international experts, comprising

over 50 thought leaders, to elaborate the details of

the new proposed development paradigm over the

coming two years. Their work will be made available

for consideration at the sixty-eighth and sixty-ninth

sessions of the General Assembly, in 2013 and 2014.

Simultaneously, His Majesty the King appointed a

national steering committee to guide and support this

process.

The working group will elaborate and refine the

four themes of well-being and happiness, ecological

sustainability, fair distribution, and the efficient use

of resources. It will prepare detailed documentation,

including thorough literature reviews and examinations

of existing best practices on how the new paradigm

can work. They will look at its potential accounting

and measurement systems, regulatory and financial

mechanisms, and trade, governance, and other

institutional arrangements. We believe the findings

will complement and contribute to the efforts being

undertaken by the Secretary-General’s high-level panel.

Towards this end, my Government also looks forward to the early establishment of the intergovernmental

open working group tasked with designing sustainable

development goals, as agreed at the United Nations

Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio.

This month, Bhutan enters its forty-second year of

membership in the United Nations. During this period,

Bhutan has been a beneficiary of the international

community, whose support and generosity have helped

to bring about tangible improvements in the lives of the

Bhutanese people. In return, Bhutan’s contributions

to the work of the United Nations have been modest

but focused. We have endeavoured to demonstrate

our dedication to the causes of peace, development

and the rule of law. As a responsible member of the

international community, committed to the principles

enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, Bhutan

is now prepared to engage directly in the process of

building a more secure world through non-permanent

membership in the Security Council. This we regard

not only as a privilege, but also as a responsibility of

United Nations membership.

It was in this context that in 1999 Bhutan informed

the Asian Group of its aspiration to seek membership

in the Security Council for the term 2013-2014. Having

never held nor sought membership in the Council before,

we are convinced that all States, regardless of size,

population or level of development, must be permitted

the opportunity to contribute by bringing diversity of

thought, approach and, indeed, their will to the work of

the Council. As a small State, we have always attached

the highest importance to multilateralism and the

primacy of an effective United Nations that serves the

interests of all its Member States.

The election of non-permanent members to the

Security Council next month will, I believe, provide

the opportunity for the international community, as

represented by all Member States, to demonstrate its

commitment to the fundamental precept of sovereign

equality as enshrined in the United Nations Charter and

to the principles of democracy and rotation that give it

meaning.