Jigmi Wangdi

Bhutan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) marked 50 years of partnership yesterday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade (MoFAWT) and UNDP commemorated this milestone with a butter lamp lighting ceremony at the Memorial Chorten. 

Lyonpo Dr Tandi Dorji and the Resident Representative of UNDP to Bhutan Mohammad Younus attended the ceremony along with other officials. 

UNDP has been Bhutan’s vital partner in areas of climate change and environment, governance, agriculture development, digital transformation and gender equality and women empowerment. UNDP has been a strong support system for Bhutan during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. 

UNDP aims to help Bhutan look beyond just recovery and towards 2030. UNDP supports managing complexity and uncertainty in four main areas of governance, social protection, green economy, and digital disruption and innovation.

Many officials from the UN have also visited Bhutan before and after the pandemic through the initiatives of UNDP to meet with government officials and discuss areas of development further. 

Khenrig Namsum Cooperative (KNC) is one of the many beneficiaries of UNDP’s financial support. 

KNC’s Chairperson, Thinley Wangdi said that the cooperative would have failed without UNDP’s aid.

“UNDP helped us with funds back in 2014. We had almost dissolved the cooperative before UNDP supported us financially and technically,” Thinley said.