Partners

 

Partnerships

Our work in Bhutan is anchored in diverse and effective partnerships. We also collaborate with a wide array of partners to leverage the range of skills and resources to better serve the development needs of Bhutan. 

Royal Government of Bhutan

Our interventions are at the policy, institutional and community levels. We work with partners at the national, district and community level to implement programmes that help achieve the country's developmental aspirations, including its transition to a middle-income country and finding innovative solutions to the top national development priorities. The priorities are promoting wellbeing of its citizens, environment conservation, providing jobs to its growing youth population, fighting climate change, addressing growing waste problem, promoting gender equality, enhancing access to justice, and promoting clean energy among others.

In the context of COVID-19 crisis, UNDP is providing the technical lead in the UN’s socio-economic recovery efforts. The longer-term social and economic impact of this crisis is profound. That’s why we remain committed to leading the UN’s socio-economic response in partnership with our sister UN agencies to help Bhutan build back better, stronger and greener, and bring about transformational changes. Our key government partners are:

  1. Gross National Happiness Commission 
  2. National Environment Commission
  3. Ministry of Agriculture and Forest
  4. Ministry of Works and Human Settlement
  5. Ministry of Economic Affairs
  6. Ministry of Information and Communication
  7. Ministry of Labour and Human Resources
  8. Ministry of Health
  9. National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology
  10. Tourism Council of Bhutan
  11. Parliament of Bhutan
  12. Local Government (We work with 13 of the 20 districts)
  13. National Biodiversity Centre
  14. National Soil Service Centre
  15. Regional Livestock Development Centre (RLDC), Zhemgang
  16. Judiciary
  17. Office of Attorney General
  18. Royal Bhutan Police
  19. Anti- Corruption Commission of Bhutan
  20. Bar Council of Bhutan
  21. Bhutan Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre
  22. Bhutan National Legal Institute
  23. Royal Civil Service Commission
  24. Royal Monetary Authority
  25. Royal University of Bhutan
  26. National Commission for Women and Children

In Bhutan, we have more than 46 years of experience leading development work. The transformational work we do in Bhutan is made possible by generous and continued support from our development partners and donors with whom we work together on both country-level strategy and project-level outcomes, while providing the highest degree of accountability in our monitoring, evaluating and reporting of finances and results. Our core Bilateral and Multilateral Development Partners are:

  1. Austrian Development Agency
  2. Asian Development Bank
  3. World Bank
  4. International Monetary Fund
  5. European Union
  6. JICA Bhutan

UN Agencies
UNDP plays different role alongside sister agencies as SDG integrator. We work closely with partners across the UN Country Team in accelerating SDGs, where relevant and necessary. UNDP is the technical lead in the UN’s socio-economic recovery efforts, supporting the overall coordination role of the Resident Coordinators, with UN teams working as one across all aspects of the response. The longer-term social and economic impact of this crisis will be profound. That’s why we remain committed to leading the UN’s socio-economic response in partnership with our sister UN agencies to help Bhutan build back better, stronger and greener, and bring about transformational changes. Our UN partners in Bhutan are:  

  1. UN, RCO
  2. UNICEF, Bhutan
  3. UN Women, Bhutan
  4. UNFPA, Bhutan
  5. WFP, Bhutan
  6. WHO
  7. UNODC

Civil Society Organizations

The civil society plays a key role in supporting the attainment of the SDGs and GNH. UNDP works closely with and advocate for the inclusion of civil society, including women’s rights and disabled people’s organizations, in country-led efforts to achieve the SDGs and GNH. We engage with CSOs at various levels, as partners in advocacy and implementation while also providing supporting the growth and development of the organizations themselves.

 Our CSOs/NGOs partners are:

  1. Bhutan Ecological Society
  2. Bhutan Water Partnership (BhWP) Secretariat, RSPN
  3. Handicrafts Association of Bhutan
  4. Royal Society for Protection of Nature
  5. Lhomon Society, Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative
  6. RENEW Bhutan
  7. Tarayana Foundation
  8. Loden Foundation
  9. Disabled People's Organisation
  10. Bhutan Youth Development Fund
  11. Department of Youth and Sports
  12. BFL Fund Secretariat
  13. Bhutan Foundation
  14. Rangjung Foundation
  15. BCMD
  16. Nazhoen Lamtoen
  17. Ability Bhutan Society
  18. Draktsho

International Organizations and Vertical Funds

In Bhutan, UNDP remains a vital implementation and policy partner to key vertical funds, such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Green Climate Fund (GCF). In recent years, UNDP supported the Royal Government in securing USD 25,347,194 from GCF to support climate resilience and transformational change in the agriculture sector. This is the largest climate adaptation fund Bhutan ever secured. UNDP is providing technical assistance in the implementation of the project.

We also helped mobilize US$3 million support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to promote Sustainable Low-emission Urban Transport System. The Ministry of Information and Communications is implementing the project with support from UNDP.

Private Sector

Private sector is nascent in Bhutan but evolving and can be critical development partner in the years to come to leverage development results through the adoption of responsible business practices to drive inclusive sustainable development. We currently engage with:

  1. I-HUB Bhutan
  2. Greener way
  3. BAEyul (Bhutan Association of Entrepreneurs)
  4. Fab Lab
  5. Thimphu TechPark
  6. Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Media

Media is a powerful medium to communicate our work and results. They play an important role in raising UNDP’s profile nationally, regionally and globally, supporting resource mobilization and influencing policy makers. We work closely with the local media, including print and broadcast, to share stories of transformational change and development from Bhutan. 

  1. Bhutan Broadcasting Service
  2. Kuensel
  3. The Bhutanese
  4. The Journalist
  5. Business Bhutan
  6. Bhutan Today