India deserves permanent UNSC seat: Bhutan

Bhutan’s Prime Minister said Bhutan has long advocated for reform of the 15-nation Security Council to make it more representative and effective and voiced support for India to sit as a permanent member at the horse-shoe high table.

United Nations: India with its significant economic growth and leadership of the Global South deserves a permanent seat at the UN Security Council, Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay has said.

He also expressed “deepest” gratitude to India for its “support and friendship” for his country's journey of graduating from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) category.

“The United Nations must evolve to meet the realities of today's world. The Security Council, as it stands, is a relic of the past. We need a Council that reflects the current geopolitical, economic landscape and social realities,” Tobgay said in his address to the General Debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly on Friday.

He said Bhutan has long advocated for reform of the 15-nation Security Council to make it more representative and effective and voiced support for India to sit as a permanent member at the horse-shoe high table.

“For this, India with its significant economic growth and population and leadership of the Global South deserves a permanent seat at the Security Council,” Tobgay said.

He also voiced support for Japan, “a leading donor and peacebuilder”, to become a permanent UNSC member.

During the high-level week, several UN Member states, including permanent members France, UK and the US explicitly voiced support for India to become a permanent member in a reformed Security Council.

In his address, Tobgay also highlighted Bhutan’s journey of graduating from the LDC category in December last year, about 52 years after it joined the United Nations.

He noted that this achievement did not come easily, it was a journey marked by hard work, perseverance and one in which Thimphu was not alone.

It had the support of many friends who “accompanied us on this important journey”, he said extending “deep gratitude" to the United Nations, its specialised agencies, and development partners, including Japan, the European Union, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank for their unwavering support.  “But most importantly, I would like to reserve our deepest thanks to India, our closest friend and neighbour. They have been with us from the very beginning of our development journey, and have remained steadfast in their support and friendship,” Tobgay said.

He noted that graduating from the LDC category is a significant milestone and what truly matters is that Bhutan did it on its own terms.

Describing Bhutan’s story as one of hope and also a call to action, Tobgay however voiced concern that only seven nations have graduated from the LDC category in about 50 years and 46 countries are still in need. 

“This is unacceptable. The international community must intensify its efforts to ensure that no nation is left behind, that all LDC countries achieve graduation,” he said, adding that to accomplish this, “we must address poverty, inequality and vulnerability with a renewed sense of urgency.” The Pact for the Future, which UN Member States adopted collectively at the Summit of the Future earlier this week, provides "us with a road map to transform the lives of the world's most vulnerable," he said.