Bhutan joined 174 countries to become a signatory to the Paris Agreement for Climate Change.

The signing was done at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 22^nd April 2016 during the High-Level Signing Ceremony on the Paris Agreement for Climate Change convened by the UN Secretary-General. Ambassador Kunzang C. Namgyel, Bhutan Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York signed the Paris Agreement on behalf of the Kingdom of Bhutan.

In all, 175 nations signed the Paris Agreement, making the signing ceremony the largest number of countries ever to sign a multilateral agreement on the day it opened for signature.

Following the signing ceremony, Ambassador Kunzang Namgyel delivered Bhutan’s national statement in which she highlighted Bhutan’s vulnerability to the adverse impacts of climate change and stated that the Paris Agreement provides the best hope to collectively meet the challenges of climate change. She assured Bhutan’s committed to contributing to the global fight against climate change and urged all countries to support Bhutan in its national endeavors.

The signing ceremony marks the initial step toward bringing the Paris Agreement into force. The agreement can enter into force 30 days after 55 countries accounting for 55 per cent of global emissions deposit their instruments of ratification.