General Assembly Official Records Seventy-Fourth Session

General Assembly Official Records Seventy-Fourth Session

United Nations A/74/ PV.11 General Assembly Official Records Seventy-fourth session 11th plenary meeting Saturday, 28 September 2019, 9 a.m. New York President: Mr. Muhammad-Bande ................................. (Nigeria) In the absence of the President, identified for the general debate is relevant to me and Mr. Verdier (Argentina), Vice-President, took my country. the Chair. In order to narrow the gap, all our initiatives and decisions are focused on uplifting the poor. We The meeting was called to order at 9 a.m. are convinced that it is only through quality health care and relevant education that we can eradicate Agenda item 8 (continued) poverty in all its forms in the most sustainable General debate manner. Our Constitution mandates free health care and education for all Bhutanese. Although we are a Address by Mr. Lotay Tshering, Prime Minister resource-constrained country, our leaders have always of the Kingdom of Bhutan insisted on strengthening the social sector. It is an investment. As we all know, it is never an expenditure. The Acting President (spoke in Spanish): The I am happy to share that, in July, my Government made Assembly will now hear an address by the Prime teachers the highest-paid civil servants in Bhutan. Minister of the Kingdom of Bhutan. We aspire to motivate teachers and attract the best Mr. Lotay Tshering, Prime Minister of the Kingdom and the brightest to that noble profession. It is only of Bhutan, was escorted to the rostrum. through investment in teachers that we can bring about significant improvement in the quality of education. The Acting President (spoke in Spanish): I have work is under way in schools to encourage learning great pleasure in welcoming His Excellency Mr. Lotay beyond textbooks and exams. Tshering, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bhutan, and inviting him to address the Assembly. While it may not be new to many members, we are also in the process of shifting from summative to Mr. Tshering (Bhutan): I have the honour to formative learning. The focus of our education goes convey the greetings of His Majesty the King and the beyond imparting skills and knowledge. We would like people of Bhutan. I am very happy to represent the to ensure that our children learn to become good human land of gross national happiness for the first time at beings, with qualities such as compassion, empathy and the General Assembly. Last year, with aspirations respect for nature. Those are the main elements of the to serve my country, my party and I campaigned on gross national happiness-based curriculum we have in a commitment to narrowing the gap. In the language the schools in Bhutan. We plan to enhance the school of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we curriculum with practical lessons on climate change so pledged to leave no one behind. Therefore, the theme that every student becomes a climate champion. This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of speeches delivered in other languages. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-0506 ([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org). 19-29608 (E) *1929608* A /74/PV.11 28/09/2019 A nation can grow only on the strong foundations Environment Facility. That may appear to be few as of a good health-care system. Among the many health- an absolute number, but it is almost 10 per cent of the care initiatives, my country is gearing up to launch number of taxis in my capital. the 1,000 Golden Days Plus package, which will make Ironically, those contributions and initiatives are sure that every child is taken care of, even before he or rendered futile by the choices of others. I personally she is born — from conception to the antenatal check- feel that those who can are not doing enough. As ups for mothers, institutional delivery, post-natal care, a practising surgeon, I always share the following immunization schemes and exclusive breastfeeding for analogy. We advise patients to refrain from ill habits. a minimum of six months. All women civil servants Some listen but most do not. They later return with a in Bhutan are entitled to six months’ maternity leave, terminal illness. By then it is too late to intervene. Such with full pay. We will implement that package through is the health of our environment. If we do not act now, financial incentives to all mothers during the 1,000-day we will leave an incurable, diseased planet. And none period. That will enhance proper care for both mother of us wants that. and child, including their nutritional requirements. As we all know, the health of the mother is equally Our focus on the Sustainable Development Goals important during that critical period. After those 1,000 (SDGs) resonates well with the principles of gross golden days, the Ministry of Health will hand over the national happiness. It is perhaps for that reason that precious child to the Ministry of Education for early Bhutan is well on track to achieving the 2030 Agenda child care and formal education. That is in addition to for Sustainable Development. We have in place a joint totally free secondary and tertiary health care. Both parliamentary committee comprised of members from modern and traditional medicines are housed under one both the upper and lower houses. In addition, Bhutan roof across the country. presented its voluntary national review of the SDGs in July 2018. At the SDG summit held earlier this week, For the services that are not available within we committed to submitting another review in 2020. Bhutan, we send our patients to high-end medical Just as we did for the Millennium Development Goals, centres in neighbouring countries. The cost of those Bhutan aspires to be an early achiever of the SDGs too. referrals are fully borne by the Government. That also includes organ transplants, cardiac surgeries and Bhutan is set to graduate from the least developed even joint replacements. I am also pleased to share that country (LDC) category in 2023, coinciding with the universal health coverage should not be too difficult to completion of our ongoing five-year development achieve in Bhutan by 2030. plan. We have charted out a clear transition plan for graduation. To that effect, my Government has With deepest appreciation and reverence to our identified nine flagship programmes in critical sectors, visionary monarchs, I claim with pride that Bhutan which target multiple SDGs, including sustainable water is carbon-negative. The principles of gross national management, waste management, organic agriculture, happiness — our philosophy of development with digital transformation, quality education and health care values — prevented us from exploiting our national and, most important, economic diversification. We are resources for short-term gains. The Constitution mindful that Bhutan was found eligible for graduation mandates 60 per cent forest cover at all times; we based on social and income indicators during two have 72 per cent as of today. When climate change has consecutive triennial reviews. However, Bhutan did become the greatest threat facing humankind today, is not meet the economic vulnerability index threshold it not a wonder that a small country such as Bhutan had either time. Today, as we prepare to graduate from LDC the foresight to take that path from early days? status, our last-mile challenges include eradicating I am pleased to share that my Government has poverty, addressing income inequality and ensuring adopted a national human settlement policy that that vulnerable segments of the population do not fall places importance on environment-friendly and back into poverty due to climate-change hazards and energy-efficient construction. Our energy comes from natural disasters. In addition, we are also confronted hydropower, which we all know is renewable. We are with inadequate resources and a lack of institutional also taking initiatives to replace fossil fuels with clean capacity. I personally feel that the targets of SDG 17 energy. For instance, we have launched a package to will help my country graduate on a sure footing; I procure 300 electric taxis, with support from the Global request our development partners to consider that. 2/59 19-29608 28/09/2019 A /74/PV.11 At a time when the relevance of multilateralism is Mr. Ruhakana Rugunda, Prime Minister of the often questioned, Bhutan’s faith in the United Nations Republic of Uganda, was escorted to the rostrum. remains unwavering. The challenges we face as a The Acting President: I have great pleasure in global community are too numerous and multifaceted welcoming His Excellency Mr. Ruhakana Rugunda, for individual States to tackle on their own. In order Prime Minister of the Republic of Uganda, and inviting to move ahead, we must work together as one global community, with the United Nations at the forefront. him to address the Assembly. From our perspective, there is no alternative to Mr. Rugunda (Uganda): I wish to congratulate multilateralism. At the same time, the United Nations Mr. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande on his election as must also evolve and keep up with changing realities. In President of the General Assembly at its seventy- particular, Bhutan considers that the existing structure fourth session and to assure him of Uganda’s full and composition of the Security Council do not reflect support. My delegation is pleased to have an eminent the current realities and circumstances of the world.

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