Chief Advisor to the Interim Government, Chief Justice Tshering Wangchuk, addressed the general debate of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the USA on September 27.

Among others, Chief Advisor reaffirmed Bhutan’s support to Secretary General’s agenda to reform the UN development system. “As we look to the future, Bhutan will continue working with the member states to ensure that the United Nations continue to play a key role in promoting peace, security, and solidarity.”

He also conveyed Bhutan’s commitment towards achieving the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and tackling climate change.

He also thanked development partners for their support to Bhutan’s socioeconomic development, which has enabled the country to meet the threshold for graduation from Least Development Country (LDC) category.

He said that the pace of graduation from LDC must be able to absorb the withdrawal of international support measures. “Smooth transition is thus critical to ensure that the graduation is sustainable and does not disrupt the ongoing development plans and processes.”

As the first country to sign the Rapid Deployment Level (RDL) Agreement with the UN in December 2017 and having pledged an integrated Formed Police Unit (FPU), he assured Bhutan’s readiness to deploy a contingent whenever called upon by the United Nations.

Staff Reporter