Bhutan, 2011

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.