Bhutan backs G-4 countries' bid for permanent UNSC membership

UNITED NATIONS: Countries like India and Japan, Brazil and Germany must be given permanent seats in the UN Security Council, Bhutan today said as it backed reforms in the world body to revitalise and strengthen it.

Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay said the UN reforms would be incomplete without reforming the Security Council to reflect the changing realities of the world.

"As such, countries like India and Japan, Brazil and Germany must be called upon to serve as permanent members in the Security Council. And Africa must be appropriately represented," Tobgay said in his address to the UN General Assembly.

"And Africa must be appropriately represented," Tobgay added.

The Secretary General's reform initiatives will provide the much-needed framework to revitalise and strengthen the UN.

Bhutan joins all member states in backing this bold endeavour, he said.

Asking member countries to join him in observing a moment of silence to remember the victims of global terrorism, Tobgay said the recent acts of terrorism have brought pain and suffering to countless people in nearly every part of the world, and far too many lives have been cruelly lost.

"The horrific acts committed by terrorist groups undermine global peace and security, and Bhutan joins the call for united action to combat these extremists. To win the fight against terrorism we have no option but to strengthen the United Nations, so that multilateralism and global cooperation are further enhanced," he said.

Referring to the three recent hurricanes that battered communities in the Caribbean and in the United States, and the devastating floods in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka that have taken more than 1200 lives, he said these disasters are not isolated incidents.

"Experts are increasingly convinced that natural disasters like hurricanes and floods are made worse by climate change. Climate change is a reality. Each of the last three years has been the hottest in recorded history. Sixteen of the 17 hottest years on record have all occurred in this new century. And this must alarm us, for we are only in 2017," Tobgay said.

"There is no room for complacency, hesitation or finger pointing, excuses or procrastination. The urgency is now. Our wellbeing is at stake. The survival of future generations is at risk," he said.

"The Paris Agreement is proof that we have accepted that climate change is a reality, and that we are willing to come together, to work together, to fight climate change together.

I urge all countries to fulfil the promises they made in Paris," he added.