Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade RGOB
H.E. (Dr.) Tandi Dorji, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade is in New York, leading the Royal Government of Bhutan’s delegation to the High-Level Week of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) which takes place from 19 – 26 September 2023. The delegation includes the Health Minister, senior officers from the Office of the Cabinet Affairs and Strategic Coordination, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade. The delegation is supplemented by the Chargé affaires a.i., and officers of the Permanent Mission of Bhutan to the UN.
Foreign Minister addressed the General Debate of the 78th UNGA today, held under the theme ‘Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.’ In his statement, the Foreign Minister highlighted Bhutan’s commitment to multilateralism, 2030 Agenda, LDC graduation, contribution to UN peacekeeping, climate action and ongoing transformation in Bhutan, including the enactment of the National Digital Identity Act.
During the visit, the Foreign Minister participated in several high-level multilateral meetings, side events and held separate bilateral meetings with his counterparts.
On 19 September 2023, the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) co-hosted a side event on “Mental Health for All: Leaving no one behind” with the Kingdom of Belgium, UNICEF, WHO, and United for Global Mental Health. The objective of the event was to call for renewed action on and investment in mental health and bring attention to this important and often neglected topic. During the event, Foreign Minister read out a message from Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of Belgium. In addition, the Health Minister participated in the panel discussion and presented the Paro Declaration, a commitment of the health ministers of 10 countries of the South-East Asia Region to address mental health through primary care and community engagements.
The Foreign Minister and the delegation celebrated the Royal Birth of Her Royal Highness the Gyalsem with the Bhutanese community in New York on 22 September 2023. The celebration was marked with the offering of prayers, cutting of cake and cultural events.
Before returning to Bhutan on 28 September 2023, the delegation will travel to Washington D.C. for meetings with partners and the Bhutanese community.
