UN General Assembly
2022

In Bhutan, our visionary Monarchs have long recognized the importance of conserving our natural environment and living in harmony with nature. Although small, we have made bold commitments to safeguarding nature and protecting our environment, most significant of which is the constitutional requirement of maintaining 60 per cent of our total area under forest cover, whereas in reality more than 70 per cent of our territory is forested. Our forests are net carbon sinks, absorbing two-thirds more carbon than we emit. Bhutan is not just carbon neutral, but carbon negative. In a world heading towards a water, food and energy crisis, investing in sustainable mountain development should be a global priority. We need to build the resilience of our communities and offer mountain communities practical and sustainable alternatives to enable them to continue living in harmony with nature and their surroundings. We must continue to foster sustainable mountain development, with special emphasis on mountain agriculture, sustainable mountain tourism and opportunities to tap the renewable energy that the mountains provide.