Permanent Mission of Bhutan to the United Nations Permanent Mission of Bhutan to the United Nations
As a long-standing and responsible member of the United Nations, Bhutan attaches high importance to the principles and purposes enshrined in the United Nations Charter.
Bhutan has always worked constructively with other member states to realize the noble objectives of the United Nations since its membership in 1971. Among others, Bhutan remains fully committed to the cause of international peace and security, which is one of the key mandates and objectives of the United Nations.
In this context, notwithstanding its limitations and constraints, Bhutan joined the fraternity of nations participating in UN peacekeeping operations in September 2014 by making a modest contribution of peacekeepers to a few peacekeeping missions around the world.
The assignment of a Military Officer at the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) mission in the Middle East and two Staff Officers at the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), marked the first and historic participation of Bhutanese Armed Force officers as a “Blue Beret” under the UN flag.
Subsequently, this was followed by deployments to MINUSMA (Central African Republic), UNMIL (Liberia) at the height of the Ebola crisis, UNMISS (South Sudan), MINUSMA (Mali), UNAMID (Darfur); UNDOF (Syria); UNISFA (Abyei); MINURSO (Western Sahara); MINUSTAH (Haiti) and to MONUSCO (D. R. Congo). This is in keeping with Bhutan’s aspiration to contribute meaningfully, although in a small way, to the cause of peace and security.
In keeping with our abiding commitment to deepen and broaden our engagement in UN peacekeeping operations, in September 2015 we formally conveyed to the DPKO our intent to contribute a contingent i.e. a Force Protection Company to a UN peacekeeping mission anytime a need arises.
Bhutan’s peacekeeping engagement is being pursued in an incremental manner commensurate with its own capacity. Peacekeepers from Bhutan will always adhere to and uphold the highest standards of integrity, ethics and professionalism in the discharge of their responsibilities.
Bhutan remains firmly committed to the zero tolerance policy with regard to sexual exploitation and abuse. Bhutan has made a modest contribution to the Trust Fund set up to support victims of sexual exploitation and abuse.