YouSaid · the spoken record

Tandi Dorji

lines on the record: 44
first: 2022-09-24
most recent: 2023-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“it took nearly 80 years for a global pandemic to emerge, and ever since we have seen rapid incidences of such potential pandemics, such as the Middle East respiratory syndrome in 2012. Ebola in 2014 and Zika in 2016. As the name SARS- CoV-2 suggests. SARS-CoV-3 may just be around the corner, brought about by climate change, massive loss of habitat and ever-increasing interaction between humans and animals. We must all acknowledge our interdependence and the importance of working closely together and collaborating with each other to combat our common challenges. While each of our countries has its own priorities, we must not forget that we share this world together, and that therefore we should all prioritize global well-being, preparedness and cooperation. Together, we can.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Bhutan will continue working with all Member States to ensure that the United Nations continues to play an instrumental role in promoting peace and security and a United Nations that is fit for purpose in the twenty-first century. In conclusion, may I submit that the world has largely forgotten the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the fact that it killed close to 20 million people globally. We should, however, remember the vulnerabilities that we all faced, how ill-prepared we were and the sufferings that all of us experienced collectively. We have all seen the best and worst of humanity and global cooperation. Today, as we emerge victorious from the pandemic, we must learn from those lessons and prevent any such catastrophe from occurring in the future. From the Spanish flu in 1920 to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“One of the most important and critical of those is leveraging technology for nation-building, without which we will be left behind. With the enactment of the National Digital Identity Act. Bhutan became the first country in the world to enact a legal framework for implementing self-sovereign identity. That will serve as the foundation on which all other services will be accessed and provided to citizens digitally. Over the past decade, strong political, social and economic institutions established under the guidance of our monarchs have taken firm root to set the foundations for a functional and vibrant democracy. As we look to the future.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“India and Japan must be included as permanent members, as must members of the African Union. Under the leadership of His Majesty the King, the Government has initiated and implemented a number of reforms across all Government agencies and sectors. Having learnt valuable lessons from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, we are convinced that business as usual cannot be the norm. Urged on by the expectations of our people, the need to overcome our vulnerabilities and to progress as an advanced nation, we have undertaken major transformations so as to enhance public services, accelerate the economy and sustain the development gains while promoting and preserving our core values, which are our tradition and culture and. most important, our environment. There are a number of foundations on which those reforms are built.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“The increasing fragmentation and polarization and the growing inequity we witness in the world today only serve as an urgent cry for strengthening multilateralism, forging greater political resolve and solidarity, and practicing compassion. Bhutan has consistently maintained that the reform of the Security Council must progress hand-in-hand with the reform of the entire United Nations system. The reform must accommodate the interests and concerns of all Member States, particularly of those that are unrepresented or underrepresented. We believe that the Security Council must evolve to stay relevant and effective to address the multifaceted challenges of our times, and in that regard Bhutan supports the expansion of both the permanent and non-permanent categories of Council membership. We continue to believe that in a reformed Council.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Bhutan deployed its first uniformed contingent to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic. Bhutan has also pledged an integrated formed police unit (FPU) and we are working towards fulfilling that pledge. We stand ready to deploy our FPU whenever the United Nations calls upon us to do so. The Royal Government would like to express our appreciation to the United Nations Department of Peace Operations and the Department of Operational Support for their guidance and support to Bhutan’s participation in that very important mandate. Effective multilateralism must address the concerns of the less powerful nations of the world. The global governance architecture has not delivered the equity and inclusion that are required to ensure that the ideals of the common agenda are carried out.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Bhutan has always worked constructively with other Member States to realize the noble objectives of the United Nations since its accession to membership in 1971. Among other things. Bhutan remains fully committed to the cause of international peace and security, which is one of the key mandates and objectives of the United Nations. Bhutan joined the fraternity of troop- and police-contributing countries in 2014 to contribute its part towards maintaining international peace and security. That signifies our commitment to sharing the burden along with other Member States. Since then. Bhutan has been working towards gradually broadening and deepening our engagement in the United Nations peacekeeping operations. I am happy to share that in November 2022.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“While welcoming the breakthrough agreement to provide loss and damage funding for vulnerable countries on the frontline of the climate crisis during the twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27). we are hopeful that progress will be made and that it will be operationalized by COP28. In addition, we need to mobilize new and additional climate financing, while ensuring balance between financing for mitigation and adaptation. We also need to forge strong international cooperation in coming up with viable projects and partnerships to scale up investments in alternative renewable energy to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, particularly in the manufacturing and transport sectors. Although a small developing country, with a population of less than a million.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“On our part, we have done all we can and Bhutan’s leadership in sustainable development and environmental stewardship has been well recognized globally. We are fortunate that the past investments in environmental conservation are reaping climate dividends. Our forests not only serve as a carbon sink for greenhouse-gas emissions, but also provide the valuable ecosystem service of delivering clean water for drinking, agriculture and hydropower generation. We are committed to remaining carbon neutral and reaffirm our pledge to fulfil our commitments to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“The report of one working group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirms that the rate of ice-sheet loss has increased at an alarming rate over the past three decades, with the region experiencing glacier-mass loss of 65 per cent. Even if global warming is limited to 1.5°C. one-third of the glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region will disappear by the end of the century. For countries like ours, that means permanent loss of water resources for agriculture, hydropower generation and natural resources, and increased risk of disaster events. The melting of our glaciers also contributes substantially to rising sea-level and triggers a host of cascading effects, including coastal erosion, flooding and permanent land submersion.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Devastation and destruction from extreme weather events and natural disasters are taking place at levels never seen before, with studies pointing to climate change as the main responsible factor. I would like to convey Bhutan’s sympathies and deepest condolences to all those affected by those unfortunate events in the past year. Bhutan has also been affected by extreme weather phenomena, with the increasing frequency and ferocity of natural disasters such as glacial lake outburst floods, flash floods, windstorms and landslides. Unpredictable rain and weather patterns have wrecked the lives of farmers and people across the country. Those are serious causes of concern that have consequential impacts on the assets and livelihoods of our people and our hard-earned development gains. Bhutan falls within the Hindu Kush Himalayan region.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“While that achievement in our development journey is an occasion for celebration, we do so in the full knowledge of the vulnerabilities under which we graduate and the challenges that lie ahead. The Royal Government looks forward to a smooth transition, and the thirteenth Five-Year National Development Plan, which is set to commence early next year, will be critical to ensuring that our graduation is smooth, sustainable and irreversible. Here, we look forward to the continued good will, support and assistance of our development partners. We are also hopeful that there will be universal support for the full implementation of the Doha Programme of Action, which is critical to the LDCs. graduating countries and newly graduated countries.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“I am happy to share that Bhutan is well on track to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and on our part reaffirm our commitment to undertaking concrete actions to fulfil the 2030 Agenda. After more than five decades of planned economic development. Bhutan is set to graduate from the list of least developed countries (LDCs) at the end of this year. That is the result of strong and benevolent leadership, guidance from successive monarchs, the hard work of our people and. above all. the generous assistance of all our development partners. I take this opportunity to thank all our bilateral and multilateral partners, well- wishers and friends for their generosity and support, without which we would not have been able to realize that important milestone.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“In that regard, we support the Secretary-GeneraTs SDG Stimulus, which is aimed at significantly increasing affordable, long-term financing for development and scaling up affordable financing to ensure that the 2030 Agenda regains its traction. Under the guidance of our visionary leaders. Bhutan embarked on its development path with a holistic guiding philosophy that we call Gross National Happiness (GNH). When the world leaders adopted the 2030 Agenda in 2015. it was apparent that the SDGs presented high levels of synergy with our own development philosophy of GNH. Therefore, mainstreaming the SDGs into our national plans and their implementation came very naturally.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“The reforms of the United Nations, which are centred firmly on implementing the 2030 Agenda, will provide the essential impetus to galvanize support and progress in areas that have been found to be insufficient to meet the Goals and targets within the set timeframe of 2030. This discussion assumes even greater urgency as we have passed the midpoint towards implementing the 2030 Agenda. That is further exacerbated by the conflicts and the looming climate emergency, which have thrown efforts towards achieving the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs off track. We need to refocus our priorities by shifting gears and turning our commitments into action.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Our appreciation is also due to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who continues to inspire and serve valiantly in advocating for peace, prosperity and wellbeing of the people and the planet. The initiatives laid out in the Our Common Agenda report (A/75/982) present us with the opportunity to find new ways to work together for the common good, without undermining the existing agreements or mandates. Bhutan is happy to engage constructively in preparing for the Summit of the Future and to work towards the elaboration of a global digital compact, which would, among other things, accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“At the outset. I would like to convey the warmest greetings from His Majesty the King and the people of Bhutan to the General Assembly. Allow me to congratulate you. Sir. on your assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session and assure you of my delegation’s full support. Our gratitude also goes to Mr. Csaba Korosi. President of the General Assembly at its seventy seventh session, for the excellent guidance of our work during the past year. We also welcome the theme for the seventy-eighth general debate. “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all”, which is very relevant, appropriate and timely.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“The current challenges facing the world today remind us of our interdependence and the imperatives of collaboration and solidarity. While there have been shining examples of international cooperation, we continue to be distrustful with each other, less understanding and driven more by self-interest. As the Buddha revealed 2,000 years ago, if we are to end suffering we must rid ourselves of its three root causes, also known as the three poisons: ignorance of the nature of impermanence, greed and hatred. It is these that are the main causes of the global problems today. The antidote and traits we can all draw inspiration from are said to be wisdom, sharing and compassion. Those enduring values find consonance in the essence of the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Lack of progress on Security Council reform throws into question the relevance and legitimacy of the current global architecture, fragilizes international peace and security, and impinges on the Council’s ability to deliver on the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. Bhutan has always maintained that reform must accommodate the interests and concerns of all Member States, particularly those unrepresented and underrepresented. The expansion of the Council in both the permanent and non-permanent categories, along with reform of its working methods, constitute essential components of this process. In our view from Asia, India and Japan must be included as permanent members of a reformed Council.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“It must be reformed to respond more effectively to changed global realities and to the new and emerging threats that confront us today. Nowhere is this more evident or urgent than in the growing call for comprehensive reform of the Security Council. Yet we note that, 43 years since inclusion of the subject in the General Assembly’s agenda and nearly three decades since the establishment of the Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other Matters related to the Security Council, we have fallen far short.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“While those pledges are modest, our hope is that they will contribute to the overall environmental efforts of United Nations peacekeeping and demonstrate that such practices can be emulated and scaled. Our contribution to United Nations peacekeeping is a significant milestone in the progression of Bhutan’s engagement with the Organization. We are sincerely thankful to the international community for the trust and confidence reposed in our ability to meaningfully contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security. In its seventy-seventh year of existence, our Organization too needs a reboot to be able to meet the challenges of the present day and the future and to keep pace with and reflect contemporary realities.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“We feel strongly that at the minimum, the do-no-harm ethic must drive all aspects of field operations and conduct, and that wherever possible, field presences should, on their departure, be remembered by local communities for the positive legacies they have left for host countries. Bhutan has therefore pledged that when Bhutan’s uniformed contingent deploys, we will do so in an environmentally sustainable manner with renewable energy, waste management and the provision of assistance to the local communities that we will serve. The centrepiece of our pledge is the use of solar panels for lighting purposes in barracks and the camp area. We will carry out the planting trees around the company location, in accordance with the existing policies of the host country.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Our well-trained troops will arrive to serve the cause of peace in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic in the weeks ahead. I am confident that they will serve the international community with distinction and honour. It is a matter of great pride that, although Bhutan is amongst the smallest Members of the United Nations, with this initial deployment we will rise into the ranks of the top 60 troop-contributing countries, from our current position at 81. Of particular note, and consistent with Bhutan’s deep commitment to the promotion and protection of the environment, Bhutan considers the pursuit of environmentally responsible practices in operations to be a moral imperative.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Bhutan’s commitment to multilateralism, with the United Nations at its core, remains unwavering. As a small, landlocked and peaceful country, we remain fully committed to the noble objectives enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. Coinciding with the fiftieth year of our membership in the Organization, which we marked last year, Bhutan responded to the call to contribute to the maintenance of peace and security — a key pillar and objective of the United Nations. Since then, Bhutan has prepared for the deployment of its first uniformed military unit, a light quick reaction force, to a United Nations peace mission. This process was set in motion in 2014, when we first joined the ranks of United Nations troop-contributing countries.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Therefore, in keeping with our development philosophy of Gross National Happiness, the sector has been restructured and reformed so that it benefits Bhutan not only economically, but socially and environmentally as well. In the long run, we want to create high-value, authentic and unique experiences for visitors and well-paying professional jobs and businesses for our citizens. The increasing fragmentation, polarization and growing inequality we witness in the world today only serve as an urgent cry for strengthening multilateralism, greater political resolve, solidarity and compassion. It is apparent that no individual, community or country can overcome contemporary challenges on their own. Interdependence is at the core of our existence, and we must come together through stronger, more effective multilateralism.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Since 1974, when Bhutan opened its doors for tourism, we have always followed the policy of high value-low volume tourism, as envisioned by His Majesty the fourth King of Bhutan. However the minimum daily tariffs that were instituted were found to be too low, resulting in our becoming a budget destination, leading to mass tourism and its associated problems of increasing waste, a decreasing quality of service standards, the underemployment of our youth engaged in the sector, never-before-seen traffic jams and overcrowding of our most religious sites. We have always prioritized the well-being of the people, preserving our environment, tradition and culture over unsustainable and mindless development.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“While universal health care is a guarantee enshrined in our Constitution, reforms in the health sector focus on the importance of preparedness for future outbreaks and pandemics, strengthening the quality of health care, leveraging technology, and a renewed focus on mental health. The health sector is being reformed to provide not only primary, but secondary and tertiary health care to all people within half a day’s travel. Specialist services are expanding across the country including, sending mobile teams to screen and treat high-burden diseases. Bhutan’s revamped tourism policy was launched with much anticipation on 23 September, coinciding with the opening of our international border.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“With one year remaining before our exit date from the LDC category, those measures will buttress our efforts to ensure that Bhutan’s graduation is smooth, sustainable and irreversible. As I speak, major transformational initiatives are underway in Bhutan to strengthen public service delivery. The entire public sector will be streamlined, strengthened in terms of capacity and performance, and held to more rigorous standards of professionalism and accountability. Our public servants must serve the citizens with the better and faster public services that they deserve.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“A good school gives a child a fair shot at success and ensures that a person’s achievement in life will not be predetermined by his or her race, parentage and social connections.” Bhutan may have been one of the most recent countries to finally reopen its borders since the emergence of the pandemic. As difficult and painful as these past two and half years have been, they have allowed for deep reflection at the national level and permitted time for an honest assessment of gaps and challenges. Weaknesses were bared and, in some instances, fault lines deepened. We came to the harsh realization that drastic recalibration of our systems were needed if Bhutan is to position itself as a country that is prosperous, resilient and future-ready.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Bhutan welcomed the convening of the Transforming Education Summit on 19 September. His Majesty the King has always accorded the highest importance to the education sector, recognizing that a nation’s fate begins in its classrooms and schools. Education is a critical pillar of a country’s development and holds the key to unlocking many of our shared global challenges. As His Majesty The King remarked as early as 2014, “Education is empowering — it is a social equalizer and it facilitates self-discovery, which leads to realizing one’s full potential. Good education gives you confidence, good judgment, virtuous disposition and the tools to achieve happiness successfully.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Bhutan has always believed that the pursuit of development and progress must respond to a higher calling. We need measures that take into account the full spectrum of human development, as well as the multifaceted factors that provide the enabling environment within which individuals can pursue and achieve that common yet elusive human aspiration to happiness and well-being. This discussion assumes greater urgency as we approach the midpoint towards implementing the 2030 Agenda, in full realization that today, the conflict in Europe and the looming climate emergency have thrown efforts towards achieving the 2030 Agenda and SDGs off course. We need to refocus our priorities by shifting gears and turning our commitments into action, and doing so by working together in the spirit of genuine solidarity.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Bhutan has followed closely the discussions around the report and its recommendations, and we are pleased with the momentum that has been generated. As we continue our deliberations, Bhutan will engage constructively, including in preparations for the Summit of the Future, and work towards elaboration of a global digital compact. Our Common Agenda must provide the road map to turbocharge and accelerate our actions towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Bhutan welcomes the report’s recognition of the need to look beyond the gross domestic product (GDP). That finds strong resonance with Bhutan’s own approach to balanced and human-centred development, which we call Gross National Happiness. It is now widely accepted that this cannot be achieved by tracking GDP alone.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Just when we are embarking on rebuilding and recovering from the pandemic and its associated impacts, conflict, supply disruptions, a surge in food, energy and fertilizer crises are driving millions more into extreme poverty, magnifying hunger and malnutrition. Predictably, it is the poorest and most vulnerable amongst us that suffer the brunt. The Secretary-General has rightly described this as either a breakdown or breakthrough moment for humankind and for the planet. Transformation is what we called for in declaration on the on the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations (resolution 75/1). We thank the Secretary-General for his groundbreaking report Our Common Agenda (A/75/982), responding to this call.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Our campaign to vaccinate our population has been recognized as an unlikely success story, and today more than 90 per cent of our entire population stand fully vaccinated. This was made possible due in no small measure by the heartwarming goodwill of friends and partners, including India, whose Vaccine Maitri initiative enabled the full first round of vaccinations for our adult population. We are also grateful to the United States, Denmark, Bulgaria, Croatia and China, whose generosity with vaccines came at a most critical time. We also thank all the other bilateral partners and multilateral agencies that supported logistics and provided financial support, medicines and equipment for our response to the pandemic. Our success would not have been possible without all of their support. We remain ever grateful.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Outbreaks of other viral infections continue to occur at alarmingly frequent intervals, threatening the world with another possible pandemic. It is certain that these biological threats will continue and that we need to be better prepared. Like many other parts of the world, Bhutan was not spared the impacts of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) or its induced disruptions. We are fortunate that with our beloved Monarch leading from the front, with Government policies and measures firmly grounded in science, and most importantly of all, with the full solidarity and confidence of our people behind us, Bhutan was fortunate to fare better than many others. As a result of stringent measures, determination, and grit, we were able to minimize the immediate public health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, emerging with minimum loss of life.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“To maintain focus and raise awareness, we are organizing an annual ultra-marathon event, known as the Snowman Race, that will invite elite athletes from around the world to run across the Himalayas at elevations of 5,000 metres above sea level. We hope that this will generate more action and enhance greater partnerships. We are at a watershed moment in history. The world today faces an unprecedented series of interlinked and cascading crises. The human race continues on a collision course with nature, battling against the climate, biodiversity and pollution. At the same time, the pandemic that surfaced in March 2020 is still with us, and rather than abate, continues to morph and reinvent itself in new and more virulent strains.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“In a world heading towards a water, food and energy crisis, investing in sustainable mountain development should be a global priority. We need to build the resilience of our communities and offer mountain communities practical and sustainable alternatives to enable them to continue living in harmony with nature and their surroundings. We must continue to foster sustainable mountain development, with special emphasis on mountain agriculture, sustainable mountain tourism and opportunities to tap the renewable energy that the mountains provide. The proclamation last year of 2022 as the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development put the spotlight on sustainable mountain development, its conservation and sustainable use as integral means of protecting the common heritage of our planet.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Bhutan hopes that the urgency to move beyond business as usual will be heeded at the twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in November. In Bhutan, our visionary Monarchs have long recognized the importance of conserving our natural environment and living in harmony with nature. Although small, we have made bold commitments to safeguarding nature and protecting our environment, most significant of which is the constitutional requirement of maintaining 60 per cent of our total area under forest cover, whereas in reality more than 70 per cent of our territory is forested. Our forests are net carbon sinks, absorbing two-thirds more carbon than we emit. Bhutan is not just carbon neutral, but carbon negative.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“At the same time, we must see greater solidarity and cooperation from all States to support the efforts of the most vulnerable to adapt to the changing climate and deal with its consequences. We must ensure adequate and predictable finance and technological and capacity support for developing countries, particularly the landlocked developing countries, the least developed countries (LDCs) and the small island developing States, to enable us to achieve the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement. We need to forge strong international cooperation in coming up with viable projects and partnerships to scale up investments in alternative renewable energy and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, particularly in the manufacturing and transport sectors.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“The negative impacts of climate change are disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable and marginalized communities around the world, and doing so at a faster pace. The future of our youth and successive generations is under immediate threat, and the great irony is that it is through no fault of their own. But it is not too late. There is still time to undertake course correction, but that window of opportunity is fast closing. This calls for a demonstration of greater ambition from developed and large emitters, consistent with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We must see deeper emission reductions in keeping with a fair share of global efforts, consistent with the 1.5°C pathway.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
““Therefore, I would request Your Excellency to kindly convey this small message to the world leaders and big and rich nations to help and save our tiny village from global warming. “I am sure that if we all come together, we can not only save our tiny village but also make our Earth safe for all living beings. “I think we are not too late to fight against global warming now.” Chimi’s poignant letter evokes the plain truths of communities standing on the front lines of the climate crisis. But this is not limited to Bhutan. We are reminded with far too much frequency that across the world today, lives and livelihoods are in peril due to the impacts of human-induced climate change, rising sea levels and natural disasters.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Each time that Chimi and members of her community glance at these majestic peaks, the foremost question on their mind is: How long before they become barren and brown? I would like to share young Chimi’s letter with the Assembly today: It reads: “My village is in great danger because of global warming. The glaciers and snow on our mountains are melting, the glacial lakes above our village are getting bigger every day. “I am sure it may cause a big flood in our village at any time. And we have to be in constant fear every day and night. “Our innocent people are suffering because of others’ evil actions. In the near future, we may not see glaciers and snow on the mountains, beautiful glacial lakes or Lunaps in this place.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“I arrived in New York last week with a vastly different prepared text for delivery today. In recent days, however, I received a heartfelt appeal from Chimi, a bright seven-year-old girl in class two at Lunana Primary School, in Bhutan, which has compelled me to rethink my statement. Lunana is a place in one of our northernmost districts, remote and perched at an altitude of 3,400 metres. It is home to a community of 810 people, comprising 185 households of highland nomadic herders, spread across 13 scattered villages. Today Lunana is embraced in the astounding beauty of the rugged snow-capped peaks of the mighty Himalayas, which Lunaps, or the people of Lunana, both revere and depend upon for their livelihood and sustenance.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“I bring the warm greetings of His Majesty the King and from the people of Bhutan. Allow me to convey our congratulations to His Excellency Mr. Csaba Korosi, President of General Assembly at its seventy-seventh session. He may rest assured of Bhutan’s full support as he steers us through the session. I also take this opportunity to convey our gratitude and admiration to His Excellency Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the Assembly at its seventy-sixth session, for the exceptional manner in which he guided our work this past tumultuous year. Our appreciation is also due to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who, in a most challenging year for our Organization, coinciding with the first year of his second term, has continued to serve as a compelling and valiant advocate for peace, people and planet.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)