ADDRESS BY
HIS EXCELLENCY LYONPO SANGAY NGEDUP
PRIME MINISTER OF THE KINGDOM OF BHUTAN

Madam Chair,
Your Majesty,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

At age twenty, SAARC has returned to its birthplace -- to this historic city of Dhaka . On the auspicious occasion, I bring to this august gathering and to the people of Bangladesh the warm greetings and good wishes of His Majesty the King Jigme Singye Wangchuck.

Even as I rejoice in commemorating this significant event, grateful for the warm reception and gracious hospitality of the people of Bangladesh , it is with sadness that I recall the calamity of the October 8 earthquake. And, my heart is heavy with grief, thinking of so many innocent lives, taken so violently, by the recent terrorist attacks in India . To all our sisters and brothers whose lives were so suddenly altered, I convey the profound sympathy of the people of Bhutan . We pray that the departed rest in peace, and those left behind will be able to rebuild their shattered lives with courage, perseverance and hope for a better future.

These violent events, natural or man-made, have once again reminded us that we humans are equally vulnerable, and such disasters know no borders. Maximum preparedness against nature's fury or terrorists' ambition is possible only by people joining hands -- holistically across all technical professions, and collectively across nations. We owe to all who suffered that we act, and act differently. I do not call for any ordinary SAARC collaboration. I call for a high-performance teamwork among us with an acute sense of urgency. Bhutan is ready and determined to do its part.

Madam Chair,

On the occasion of SAARC's homecoming, I take an inspiration from the earthquake victims' indomitable will, to cast my thoughts on the future of our region.

The Founding Father of SAARC -- among whom Bhutan is proud to count His Majesty the King -- embraced a dream. A dream of what they wanted for South Asia 's future generations. A dream of what we must be for our own good. A dream of what we can be, if we put our hearts and minds into concerted action on the ground.

Imagine that dream.

Imagine South Asia , where nations trust and have fun working with each other, making the whole far greater than the sum of its parts.

Imagine South Asia , where all women and men enjoy unity in diversity, taking pride in their shared heritage, and valuing all sentient beings that enrich their living environment.

Imagine South Asia , where its people live in peace, knowing that it is the fruit of their own vibrant participation in a just political process and good governance.

Imagine South Asia , where its citizens live with dignity, free from the shackles of poverty.

Bhutan wants to be part of this dream. And, we believe that happiness is its ultimate outcome. We imagine South Asia , therefore, where one-fifth of humanity is secure in the knowledge that everyone has an equal opportunity to pursue individual happiness.

Madam Chair,

You would surely agree that happiness is a shared desire of every human being. It is possibly the ultimate thing we want, while all other things are wanted only as means to its increase. One lesson from the world history should therefore not surprise us: unhappy people make an unstable nation.

In Bhutan , His Majesty the King has been the fountainhead of the vision, values and policies guiding the nation's social, economic and political transformation for well over three decades. From the very outset, happiness of the people has been the singular and explicit policy outcome sought. Everything else -- however important, including greater income and wealth -- has been a means to enable this end.

Enunciated by His Majesty as “Gross National Happiness,” this policy philosophy places happiness of sovereign people at the heart of our national security strategy. Five-year development plans -- along with the planning process, associated policies, implementation and outcome evaluation -- strive to balance the people's satisfaction of material and non-material needs, and their emotional and spiritual growth.

Gross National Happiness has also meant that future course of the nation must be the people's own choice. It has driven a gradual but steady change in Bhutan 's political system, learning as we go over many decades. This process of change has recently culminated as a draft Constitution that is to enshrine a constitutional monarch and a two-party parliamentary democracy. Enshrined also is our conviction that the purpose of government is to enable the individual citizen's pursuit of happiness.

Madam Chair,

It is in this context that Bhutan remains resolute in its commitment to SAARC.

In Islamabad , we signed three landmark region frameworks and decided to tackle poverty at the regional level. The decision speaks for our collective desire to impart a fresh impetus to regional cooperation.

I commend the Government of Pakistan for the strong leadership as the Chair, which has reinvigorated the SAARC process. Indeed, I see concerted actions for implementing South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA). I see intensified dialogue, with a number of high-level meetings and even two unprecedented emergency ones at the ministerial level. I see the Integrated Programme of Action revitalised, with the Technical Committees and the Working Groups recording progress in their work.

As Bangladesh assumes the Chair, I am confident that this momentum will continue to gain its pace. I assure you, Madam Chair, of Bhutan 's fullest cooperation.

Madam Chair,

The signing of the SAFTA Agreement is a bright milestone in the history of SAARC. The purpose of its trade liberalisation programme is to bring tangible benefits to the people of our region. Backed by requisite will and pursued in earnest, SAFTA will inject new energies into our respective national economy, catalyze the region's economic synergies, and make a salutary impact on the region's political and social landscape. It is my hope that SAFTA's implementation will go a long way in realising the future envisioned by our Founding Fathers.

Madam Chair,

As we look forward to a freer movement of goods, services and people across our borders, transnational issues such as terrorism, HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases take on an even greater urgency for action. Simply put, they comprise a risk that threatens the collective security of our region and the hard-won welfare of our peoples. We must give high priority to manage this risk, together and on a war footing. We owe it to all fellow South Asians, whose innocent lives were violated so tragically by mindless weapons or viruses.

Madam Chair,

I am encouraged by the progress in the implementation of the SAARC Environment Plan of Action. But as declared at the last Summit , we must expedite the SAARC State of Environment Report, which will bring to reality a vital component of our environmental cooperation -- a Regional Environment Treaty. The natural disasters that wrecked havoc have taught us to respect nature and to mange our environment together as our collective asset. They highlighted the need for a comprehensive framework of cooperation in early warning, preparedness and management of natural disasters. To repeat, we owe it to all the lives shattered by such disasters, in this year's earthquake, last year's Tsunami, and countless others in our shared history.

Madam Chair,

In Islamabad , we took a historic decision to tackle poverty at the regional level. Indeed, we that accountable leaders cannot tolerate the fact that, in the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “there are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” Without such basic human security as food, healthcare and education, our people cannot gain hope even to seek happiness.

As the 12 th Summit mandated, the Independent South Asian Commission on Poverty Alleviation has submitted the SAARC Development Goals in the areas of poverty alleviation, health, education and environment. We adopted the plan of Action on Poverty Alleviation. We have access to the generous funds pledged by India during the last Summit .

Keeping in mind the centrality of the people, the need of the hour is action urgent and concerted action to translate our decision into viable regional projects.

Madam Chair,

SAARC has evolved through various phases. It has withstood the vicissitude of time and recorded progress in many areas. Needless to say, the most important achievement of SAARC is the culture of cooperation it fostered in our region. As SAARC enters its third decade, it is an opportune time to consolidate our gains and make it more relevant for the common man.

Our resources are limit and ground realities hard. We need to sharpen our focus on clear priority, and refrain from spreading ourselves too thinly over a large number of activities. The need of the hour, therefore, is to concentrate on tangible projects that have a clearly regional bearing. We must appreciate that some issues are best left to national governments. This is a strategic choice that will enable SAARC to emerge as a viable and effective regional enterprise in the new millennium.

The dream of our Founding Fathers can only be realised with a commensurate strengthening of the institution of SAARC. We have in place a well-structured decision making process. But, there remains much to be desired in translating our decisions to tangible action on the ground. Indeed, a number of mechanisms have already been agreed to this end. Yet, I dare say we fall short in following through.

To the same end, we must also act holistically to strengthen the SAARC process itself, by building capacities for coordination and a culture of teamwork among the Secretariat, National and Sectoral Focal Points. It particular, SAARC Centres of Excellence must be encouraged to perform to their potential.

Madam Chair,

I wish to place on record my country's deep appreciation for the valuable service rendered to SAARC by Mr QAMA Rahim, the former Secretary General. I commend him, in particular, for his tireless efforts to build SAARC institutions. We wish him well as we bid him a fond farewell.

Lyonpo Chenkyab Dorji has assumed charge of the Secretariat as the first Secretary General of SAARC from Bhutan . I commend him for the various initiatives he has already undertaken in maintaining the momentum in the SAARC process. I have every confidence that we will all gain equally from his wisdom and experience.

Madam Chair,

In commemorating twenty years of SAARC, it is fitting that we pay tribute to the memory of your late husband, President Ziaur Rahman, whose vision and initiative led to the formation of our Association. By conferring the “SAARC Award 2004” on him, we reaffirm our faith in the destiny of a vibrant, prosperous and unit South Asia .

Fellow South Asians, you may count on Bhutan 's earnest engagement as we pursue together the noble dream of our Founding Fathers, enshrined in the Charter of our Association. It is time to renew our joint commitment for action, and act, and act differently.

We the Leaders must become the change we want to see. It is time to think differently about what we do. Let it not be forgot, that our hard work is the means to a singular end -- happiness of our people. Peace and prosperity can be the norm, not exceptions, for this great region we call South Asia , populated by citizens who are happy and proud to call it their home.

Imagine such a South Asia . And, imagine the world, with such a region in it!

Thank you, Tashi Delek!