Sherab Lhamo

Agenda Chikha was launched by Her Royal Highness Princess Eeuphelma Choden Wangchuck yesterday to empower people with disabilities (PwDs) and enable them to live inclusive lives.

Agenda Chikha, a four-year initiative spanning from 2024 to 2027, focuses on empowering PwDs through four key pillars: empowering lives, building institutional capacity, challenging stereotypes, and strengthening data on PwDs.

“Agenda Chikha is a new way of bringing people together and lifting our game, providing opportunities for PwDs to thrive and contribute meaningfully through the collective journey toward the Sustainable Development Goals,” said the Resident Coordinator of United Nations in Bhutan, Karla Robin Hershey.

Agenda Chikha is guided by Bhutan’s National Policy for Persons with Disabilities and the National Council’s recent report on the state of PwDs.

It is designed to foster collaboration between policymakers, development partners, youth, the private sector, and the disability community, with the aim of improving the lives of PwDs across the country.

Karla Robin Hershey said that Agenda Chikha is the agenda for the United Nations to leave nobody behind. “The UN can be a convener, by bringing the right groups together, find the data, understand where there is limited capacity, and move forward together.”

The collaborative approach aims to identify existing data, pinpoint areas where capacity building is most needed, and move forward with solutions as a unified front.

The initiative is a collaboration involving Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment, and GoveTech as well as National Statistics Bureau, Wangsel Institute for the Deaf, Muenseling Institute, and other relevant entities.

International partners like the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and the Food and Agriculture Organization are also key contributors to the project.

Non-governmental organisations such as the Disabled Persons Organization of Bhutan (DPOB), Ability Bhutan Society, Bhutan Stroke Foundation, Draktsho, Humber Development Institute, Phensem Parents Support Group, RENEW and the Royal Society for Senior Citizens are part of the initiative.

The executive director of DPOB, Kinley Wangchuk, said that Agenda Chikha aligns with the organisation’s motto, “Nothing About Us Without Us”. He stressed that the voices and needs of PwDs must be at the center of every decision, policy, and initiative. “Their perspective and needs shape our journey towards a truly inclusive Bhutan,” he said.

Karla Robin Hershey explained that the four pillars of Agenda Chikha would address specific areas where PWDs face the greatest challenges, helping to build a more inclusive and equitable society.

The launch event coincided with the start of Bhutan’s SDGs Partnership Week, which runs from November 4 to 16, 2024, at the Royal University of Bhutan in Thimphu.

The SDGs Partnership Week serves as a platform for stakeholders from government, civil society, and the private sector to come together and work toward achieving the SDGs by 2030.

This four-day programme focuses on partnerships, collaboration, knowledge sharing and collective actions to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities, Karla Robin Hershey said.

The programme features engaging dialogues, exhibitions, and community-driven initiatives designed to accelerate progress toward the SDGs through innovative and inclusive solutions.