Thukten Zangpo

His Majesty The King conferred the Druk Thuksey (Heart Son of Bhutan) medal to the United Nations (UN) Bhutan yesterday during 114th National Day celebrations at Tashichhodzong.

The medal was awarded in recognition of its exceptional service to the Nation as an important partner in Bhutan’s socio-economic development.

UN Resident Coordinator, Gerald Daly, said that the 31 UN agencies that work in Bhutan are thankful to His Majesty The King, the Royal Government, and the people of Bhutan for the institutional recognition with the Druk Thuksey medal.

“This award is a testimony of our 50 years of meaningful partnership and gives us a trusting foundation to work harder more as we continue to embark on a journey of least developed country graduation and towards a developed Bhutan,” he said, adding that it is truly a great honour for the UN Bhutan family.




The UN in Bhutan with 128 personnel across its 31 agencies has worked with the government to take forward Bhutan’s development goals.

It has also played an important role in supporting Bhutan’s response to the most pressing challenges of our time – the Covid-19 pandemic, and climate change.

Bhutan has also emerged as a beacon of hope in the region and the world in battling the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change.

While the battle against the pandemic cannot be won in isolation, the threats of climate change also require states to come together through international cooperation, sharing of resources and expertise between the member states of the UN is needed now more than ever.

Bhutan became the 128th member of the UN. The UN office in Bhutan was established in early 1974. Since then, the country has been home to many UN agencies, funds, and programmes that support the government in delivering national development needs and improving the socio-economic conditions of the people of Bhutan.

Based on a theory of change, the UN aims to mobilise and invest an estimated USD 120 million to achieve results in four outcome areas by 2023.