Foreign Minister of Bhutan addresses 77th UNGA

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Bhutan Foreign Minister
Foreign Minister of Bhutan addresses 77th UNGA

New York, 27 September 2022 (TID): Foreign Minister of Bhutan Tanji Dorji gave a speech at the 77th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The UNGA sessions have been going on since 23rd September. Multiple states have delivered their stances in the debates of these sessions. Climate change, global inflation, and the Russia-Ukraine crisis are the most debated topics this year.

Also read: Foreign Minister of Syria addresses 77th UNGA Session

Address of the Foreign Minister:

The Foreign Minister of Bhutan addressed the rising fear of climate change disasters. He talked about how melting glaciers will destroy the areas under its influence. Bhutan’s forests are net carbon sinks, he said, highlighting that his country is not just carbon neutral, but carbon negative.

Sustainable mountain development should be a global priority, he added, noting the need to build the resilience of mountain communities. Moreover, the Foreign Minister said that as with many other parts of the world, Bhutan was not spared the impacts of COVID-19 nor its induced disruptions.

“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 stands fully vaccinated. This, in no small measure, was possible due to the heartwarming goodwill of friends and partners, including India, whose Vaccine Maitri initiative enabled the full first round of vaccinations for our adult population,” Bhutan Foreign Minister said in his address from the UNGA podium on the last day of the General Debate.

Dorji also expressed gratitude to the United States, Denmark, Bulgaria, Croatia, and China. He thanked the states, “whose generosity with vaccines came at the most critical time”.

The Foreign Minister of Bhutan added, “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 your support.”