India, Japan must be included as permanent members in UN Security Council: Bhutan Foreign Minister

Supporting India's bid for permanent membership at the UN Security Council, Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji has said that Bhutan continues to believe that in a reformed Council, India and Japan must be included as permanent members as well as members from the African Union.

While addressing the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, he said, "We believe that the UNSC must evolve to stay relevant and effective to address the multifaceted challenges of our times and in this regard, Bhutan supports the expansion of both the permanent and non-permanent categories of the Security Council."

Extending support for India during his UNGA address today, he further added by saying, "We continue to believe that in a reformed Council, India and Japan must be included as permanent members so as members from the African Union..." The Bhutanese Foreign Minister underscored that effective multilateralism must address the issues faced by less developed states.

"Effective multilateralism must address the concerns of less powerful nations of the world. The global governanece architecture has not delivered the equity and the inclusion that is required to ensure that the ideals of the common agenda are carried out . The increasing fragmentattion, polarisation, and growing inequity we witness in the world today only serves as an urgent cry for strengthening multilateralism to forge greater political resolve , solidarity and to practice compassion," he said. Moreover, he also stated that Bhutan has consistently maintained that the reform of the UNSC must progress hand in hand with the reform of the entire UN system.

"The reform must accomodate the interest and concerns of all member states particularly of those unrepresented and under-represented," the Bhutan Foreign Minister added. Addressing the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York, earlier today, the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on the United Nations to make reforms to stay relevant in the modern world and said that the issue cannot remain "indefinite" and "unchallenged".