Policy Statement
Bhutan

Excellencies, distinguish delegates, ladies and gentlemen;

I extend my heartiest felicitation and greetings from the Royal Government and the people of Bhutan to the distinguished delegates of the Plenipotentiary 2010.

It is my singular pleasure to attend this conference and I feel honoured to be here amongst great leaders, intellectuals and experts from across the globe. Further, I would like to thank and congratulate the organizers, local authorities and the Government of Mexico for facilitating and hosting of this mega event.
 
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;

Bhutan is a small tranquil Kingdom in the midst of the majestic Himalayas with population of less than a million. Bhutan’s socio-economic development is guided by the principles and philosophy of Gross National Happiness. Realizing and being aware that materialism and consumerism was leading to excessive greed and deterioration of the basic human values the 4th King of Bhutan HM Jigme Singye Wangchuk in 1974 pronounced GNH as a true indicator of a Nation’s well being rather than the conventional GDP. We have, after extensive research and studies, identified nine domains and 72 indicators to ascertain happiness index. These indicators and variables is a modest effort to quantify the intangible by the tangible. GNH being THE central theme is founded on four pillars: 1. Equitable and sustainable socio-economic development. 2. Preservation of Environment 3. Promotion and Preservation of Culture, 4. Good Governance
 
To assist this task the Government has recognized and identified ICT as the key player in strengthening the four pillars of to keep the Bhutanese generations connected and bonded by shared National Consciousness to preserve of our unique national identity in this Global Village.
 
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;

“Good Governance” is being achieved by a move from governance to e-governance that will have the agility and transparency to provide an enabling environment for a happy state. To this end we are establishing the National Broadband Network and accomplishing Mobile Universal Connectivity by June 2011, keeping in mind the MDGs. To add value to the Universal Connectivity, online G2C, G2B and G2G services application are being put in place through a network of Community Centers.
 
“Equitable and sustainable socio economic development” efforts are directed to create demand for IT and IT enabled services such as Data center and high end BPOs. The stable political system, the green and clean hydro power, pristine Himalayan environment, good English medium education system and energetic young generation is expected to strengthen our value proposition to attract serious foreign ICT investors.
 
Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen;

“Preservation and promotion of culture” which is very important for a small country like Bhutan to maintain its national identity. With imagination being the only limit, we are looking at creative methods to preserve our culture using ICT as a means to remind and transport our way of life to every homes and communities.
 
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen;

The recent devastating flood in Pakistan and India, the Iceland volcanic eruption is a grim reminder on the effects of climate change catastrophes. Hence, preserving environment comes as an important intervention and the government is convinced that ICT is the solution. It not only creates disaster preparedness, manage, control and minimize damages and destructions, but also promulgates services that are pollution free and environment friendly. 
 
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen

With specific reference to the Convention and the Constitution of the Union, we feel some amendments are necessary to address the rapid technological development and emerging requirements. I am happy to note that the Council meeting earlier this year had resolved to take the issue holistically in the next few years, to be ready for PP-14.
 
We have also noted that ITU, because of its huge mandate, been organizing numerous events for the benefit of member states. However, all these events cannot be easily availed by every member state owing to various constraints. Therefore, there is a need to rationalize these events to take on board the financial concerns of the member states. It is imperative that we need to focus our attention more on the visible deliverables which would make immediate impact on the lives on our less fortunate citizens.

Further, membership fee always has been an issue and it is our honest hope to see that the current level is maintained.
 
Collaboration between ITU and Bhutan has always been very good, although our needs are huge and often stretch beyond the means of ITU. We look forward for continued support.
 
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen;

In conclusion, let me take this opportunity, in anticipation, to congratulate the new post holders on their election and look forward to working with them. Finally, I wish this event a great success.
 
Thank you and Tashi Delek!