UNGA75: Bhutan supports G4 nations' candidature as permanent members to UNSC

While addressing the virtual 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering on September 25 said that Bhutan has always supported the G4 countries' aspirations to serve as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The G4 countries—India, Japan, Germany and Brazil—are a group of countries that have been calling for reforms at the UNSC. During his address, Tshering also called for reform in the UN, saying the world body should evolve and cater to the changing realities.

Bhutan extends support to G4 nations

As quoted by ANI, Tshering said, “At the same time, the UN must also evolve and match the changing realities, in particular, the existing structure and composition of the UN Security Council to not reflect the current realities and circumstances of the world. Bhutan has also long supported the aspirations of the G4 countries to serve as permanent members to an expanded Security Council. Of course, Africa also appropriately represented."

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Apart from this, the foreign ministers of the G4 countries held a virtual meeting that happened simultaneously with the UNGA. India, Brazil, Japan and Germany demanded urgency in the long-overdue reforms of the UN Security Council. Foreign Ministers of the G4 highlighted the urgency of reforming the United Nations and updating its main decision-making bodies, in order to better address the realities of modern times. A joint press statement was issued after the discussion by the G4 ministers stating that reforms are necessary to prevent the UNSC from becoming obsolete. The statement released by the external affairs ministry said, “The world of today is very different from what it was when the United Nations was created 75 years ago. There are more countries, more people, more challenges but also more solutions. Our working methods need to keep pace and adapt. (...) We reiterate our call for reforms of three of the principal organs of the United Nations. We commit to instilling new life in the discussions on the reform of the Security Council”. 

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The Bhutan PM also spoke about COVID-19 as he said that the virus knows ‘no border. He also urged the international community to share all important resources with developing countries in order to help in the fight against the virus. He asked, "Like climate change, COVID-19 also knows no border and similarly affects developing countries disproportionately. We do not know what is coming next and we do not know SARS COVID III will hit us. In that sense are we not interconnected. Is there a second option to multilateralism?". He further added, “Peaceful co-existence among ourselves and with the nature around us is the best vaccine for humanity to thrive on this planet In a small and intricate world while fighting a highly infectious disease, it will be a big blunder if you do not help the developing world to have access to the all the resources including a vaccine”.

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(Image Credits: AP)