The amendment on the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) will be discussed in a joint sitting. The National Assembly today did not support the National Council’s objections. The National Council rejected the amendment of the National Assembly to revoke their earlier reservation on article 66 (2). The article states that any dispute between two or more countries that cannot be settled through negotiation within a reasonable time shall, at the request of one of those countries be submitted for arbitration in an international court of justice.
In 2015, while registering the country as a member of UNCAC within a reasonable time, the reservation on article 66 (2) was not deposited.
After that, an attempt was made to deposit but it was unsuccessful since Finland and the Netherlands objected to late reservations.
Bilateral meetings between the two countries were also held, however, they were unsuccessful. UNCAC is the only binding legal international instrument against corruption.
So, the UNCAC was discussed during the summer session in the National Assembly. However, the house ratified the amendment revoking the earlier reservations on article 66 (2).
It was then submitted to the National Council and discussed in this session. The National Council rejected the amendment, proposed to denounce and re-accede to the UNCAC with reservations to uphold national interest and to fix the accountability on relevant agencies and officials.
“NC asked to revoke the earlier reservations. And if we are still with the reservation, then we need to withdraw the convention and deposit the reservation along with the convention after a year. The shortcomings of such practice are that Bhutan didn’t do similar things till now,” said the Foreign Minister, Dr Tandi Dorji.
Bhutan is recognized as a country who works in combating corruption and if we withdraw the convention, we never know what other countries will think of us.
“If we again have reservations, it will affect the country’s name. Secondly, all the works will be a waste. And even there are funds from Bhutan and other United Nations office and it will be also a waste. If we have reservations, then they were saying who will bear the losses,” said Passang Dorji, the Chairperson of NA’s Human Rights and Foreign Relations Committee.
With 38 No votes, the National Assembly did not support the National Council’s objections.
Sangay Chezom/Pema Seldon Tshering/Tshering Zam
Edited by Yeshi Gyaltshen
