Why does Civil Society matter In Bhutan?
Leave a CommentHost: Dr Karma Phuntsho
The Founder and President of Loden Foundation, a development organization that promotes education, social entrepreneurship and Bhutan’s culture and tradition as well as the Shejun Agency for Bhutan’s Cultural Documentation and Research.
Speaker: Siok Sian Pek-Dorji
Siok Sian Pek-Dorji believes that as a small landlocked country in a global world, Bhutan’s identity lies in its ability to share its own stories. She has been telling Bhutan’s stories through news and magazine articles and documentaries in an effort to record the country’s rich culture, identity and its journey to modernity. Siok Sian is the founder-director of the Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy, and supports training for creative non-fiction writing, micro documentaries and multimedia storytelling in Bhutan. She is a co-director of the Mountain Echoes literary festival. Siok Sian Pek-Dorji is also a firm believer in the inherent need of growing civil society for Bhutan’s long-term sustainability and sovereignty.
Date: Thursday 13 September 2018
Venue: UN House, Kawajangsa, Thimphu
Time: 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
NOTE: This session of Bhutan Dialogues will be followed by a short presentation on ‘How to Make a Career Choice?’. This is a special innovation to Bhutan Dialogues so as to provide an additional learning experience for those interested.
༈ འབྲུག་གི་གྲོས་བསྡུར་འཛམ་གླིང་གི་གནད་དོན་དང་རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ཀྱི་གོང་འཕེལ་སྐོར་ལས་མནོ་རིག་དང་ལས་འཆར་ཚུ་ཞིབ་དཔྱད་དང་གསུང་གྲོས་གནང་སྟེ་ ཡར་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་མདུན་ལམ་གསལ་བའི་མཁས་པའི་གྲོས་བཤད་དང་མགོ་བསྡུར།
Bhutan Dialogues is an open platform for dynamic conversations on issues of national interest and with the objective to listen, share and refine our ideas in pursuit of social progress.
In memory of Kofi Annan
Leave a CommentThe Chief Advisor of the Interim Govenment, Thrimchi Lyonpo Tshering Wangchuk and representatives from the government after signing the Book of Condolences for the former Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, with the Resident Coordinator of United Nations in Bhutan and members of the UNCT. The Book of Condolences was signed at the UN House in Thimphu and is open till Friday, August 24, 2018. Kofi Annan passed away on August 18.
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
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THE SECRETARY-GENERAL’s MESSAGE ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES (9 August 2018)
Indigenous peoples have a profound spiritual connection to their lands and resources. Yet, increasingly, indigenous persons are migrating within their countries and across international borders. The reasons are complex and varied. Some are subject to displacement or relocation without their free, prior and informed consent. Others are escaping violence and conflict or the ravages of climate change and environmental degradation. Many migrate in search of better prospects and employment for themselves and their families.
Migration is an opportunity, but it also carries inherent risks. Many indigenous migrants find themselves living in unsafe and insanitary conditions in urban areas. Indigenous women and girls experience disproportionately high rates of trafficking and other forms of violence. Indigenous youth are faced with complex questions regarding their identity and values.
In some countries, indigenous peoples’ territories are divided by international borders. Cooperation across these borders is important to safeguard their identity, occupations and traditional practices.
Later this year, Member States are expected to adopt a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. This will establish an international framework for regional and global cooperation. It will provide a platform to maximize the benefits of migration and support vulnerable migrant groups, including indigenous peoples. It is essential that the rights and identities of indigenous peoples are protected.
On this annual observance, let us commit to fully realizing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including the rights to self-determination and to traditional lands, territories and resources. And, wherever they live, let us ensure that indigenous peoples enjoy recognition for their contributions and the opportunity to thrive and prosper in peace on a healthy planet.
Comparative Development Studies – Indonesia, Afganistan, Rwanda and Bhutan.
Leave a CommentHost: Dr. Karma Phuntsho
The founder of Loden Foundation, a development organization that promotes education and entrepreneurship in Bhutan as well as the Shejun Agency for Bhutan’s Cultural Documentation and Research.
Speaker: Yoichiro Ishihara
World Bank’s Resident Representative and Senior Country Economist for Bhutan. Under the leadership of the Country Director, he leads the World Bank programs in Bhutan. He is a macroeconomist with a broad operational expertise, apt technical skills and rich client experience across various regions of the World Bank. He also worked for the policy department in Washington DC on development effectiveness and results management.
DATE: August 9 2018
VENUE: UN House, Kawajangsa, Thimphu
TIME: 4:00 pm to 5:15 pm
This session of Bhutan Dialogues will be followed by a short presentation on How to give a good interview. This is a special innovation to Bhutan Dialogues so as to provide an additional learning experience for those interested.
Please register on Eventbrite for this event
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/myevent?eid=48362909765
World Day against Trafficking in Persons
Leave a CommentEvery year, millions of children, women and men fall into the hands of traffickers, lured by fake promises and deceit. Human trafficking has become a global multi-billion-dollar enterprise, affecting nearly every country in the world. #EndHumanTrafficking #HumanTrafficking
Where is Mental Health in Our Development?
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Host: Dr. Karma Phuntsho
The founder of Loden Foundation, a development organization that promotes education and entrepreneurship in Bhutan as well as the Shejun Agency for Bhutan’s Cultural Documentation and Research.
Speaker: Dr. Chencho Dorji
Bhutan’s first modern psychiatrist and first prison medical officer. He has devoted all of his time and effort in developing the Bhutanese Mental Health Services with main focus on community based mental health care. Among his many interests, he is an ardent follower of the Gross National Happiness philosophy of development. He is also keen on integrating Buddhist Principles in psychotherapy.
DATE: July 12th 2018
VENUE: UN House, Kawajangsa, Thimphu
TIME: 4:00 pm to 5:15 pm
This session of Bhutan Dialogues will be followed by a short presentation on Principles of Good Website Design. This is a special innovation to Bhutan Dialogues so as to provide an additional learning experience for those interested.
Please register on Eventbrite for this event
Earthquake Preparedness Simulation
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The United Nations, led by the World Food Programme in collaboration with the Department of Disaster Management, Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs, organized a three-day Earthquake Preparedness Simulation in Thimphu. The main purpose of the simulation was to stress-test the current set-up of practical procedures for responding to a disaster between the key decision makers within the RGoB and key stakeholders. The Earthquake preparedness simulation was attended by representatives from His Majesty’s Secretariat, government ministries, Dzongdhags, armed forces, police, fire brigade corporations, Civil Society, Development Partners and the United Nations.
National Council Induction Session
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UN Resident Coordinator’s address to the members of the National Council on 6 June 2018
“I have always maintained that the destiny of the country lies in the hands of our people. The time has come for us now to draw up a written Constitution and establish a political system which will enable the Bhutanese people to shoulder this sacred responsibility.” His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Singye Wangchuck.
INTRODUCTION
Honorable Chairperson of the National Council, Thri-zin Tashi Dorji, Members of the National Council, Secretary General of the National Council, Colleagues.
May I take this auspicious opportunity by wishing each Honorable member a heartiest Tashi Delek for being elected to represent your people in the highest legislative body in the country.
The UN has had the privilege of supporting the democratic transition in Bhutan since the introduction of democracy in 2008. We are honored to have been your partner. It has also been our honour to have been working in partnership with your leadership and citizenship since you acceded to the UN in 1971.
The UN has watched and witnessed the rapid pace of development within the Parliament. The willingness to learn and grow by both the Secretariats of the Parliament under the leadership of the Honorable Speaker of the National Assembly and the Chairperson of the National Council, guided by the wisdom of His Majesty has been inspiring.
LEADERSHIP
Over the years, the Parliament of Bhutan has been successful in presenting an image of a modern and progressive Bhutan globally. This comes as a great advantage to the Honorable members, especially at a time when global leadership is sometimes found wanting.
Global leadership is today internationally influenced by populism, protectionism and nationalism. While the causes are multiple and deep-rooted, the critical antidote is good leadership. The best leaders are seen lead by facing the future, by framing its challenges, commanding confidence, building coalitions, debating with integrity and transparency, and delivering with an inclusive vision.
We, as the UN in Bhutan, hope to continue to support you as you carry out your eminent and profound role amongst the visionary leaders of this great country.
UNITED NATIONS IN BHUTAN
I wear a number of hats but my first one is as Resident Coordinator of the 8 UN agencies based in Bhutan and another 12 that regularly visit Bhutan (eg. the work of ESCAP and UNEP etc.)
8 Resident Agencies
FAO, led by Chadho Tenzin,
UNDP, (my 2nd hat is the RR; on a daily basis UNDP is led by Niamh Collier-Smith)
UNFPA (Yeshey Dorji),
UNICEF (Rudolf Schwenk),
UNODC (Sonam Wangdi),
UN Women (Rinzi Pem),
WFP (Piet Vochten),
WHO (Dr. Rui Paulo De Jesus))
Our partnership with Bhutan is about to reach the 50 year milestone and over the next 5 years we expect to support the 12th Plan with over Nu 7 billion. During the course of today we’ll explain in some detail how this is being planned and Partly inspired by the SG’s opening video we will do a detailed dive on the UN’s work on Emergency Preparedness and Response, because of this country’s vulnerability this extra attention is deserved.
SDGs/times of change and challenge
I have been fortunate to directly see a number of the changes that have occurred in Bhutan over the last 15 years.
- Face-masks in Thimphu
- Farm roads and Darla Geog
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals guide the United Nation’s interventions across all the nations we support and will guide our collaboration with you here in Bhutan. The United Nations biggest collaboration and contribution lies ahead. We will work together the Royal Government of Bhutan to help Bhutan successfully implement and achieve the 17 SDG’s by 2030.
Over the course of today, we will explain in detail where we bring a practical value-add to the development of this country.
When we anticipate the future (or another way to say this is ‘to get ahead of it’), we know we need to do better development; better results, better value for money and targeted to the most vulnerable.
I’d like to share with you 2 key documents, (1. Scenarios to 2030 for the UNDP in Asia and the Pacific – mega trends analysis 2. Analysis of mega trends in South Asia and their implications for children and UNICEF) which speak to the trends that will buffet this country over the coming 15 years: most especially:
- Urbanization
- Climate Change
- Inequality
- Global Balance of Power
- 4th industrial revolution
These are important analysis and I look forward to an on-going dialogue on their key messages and insights.
Journey
The journey of the Global Goals began in 2000.
When world leaders came together at the United Nations to adopt the Millennium Declaration. Defining a common vision for the world, this declaration formed the eight Millennium Development Goals which proceeded to define development co-operation. Great progress was made here in Bhutan during this period: just to cite one example, The mortality rate of children under five years of age decreased by half between 1990 and 2012.
THE SDGs
Sustainable Development Goals was signed by 193 countries in September 2015.
This new agenda built on important principles:
- It states that development problems are by their nature multi-sectoral, and therefore demand a ‘whole-of-government’ response.
- It is a universal agenda, applied to all countries, recognizing that we will succeed or fail together.
- It requires that ‘no-one is left behind’ as nations progress, so that national statistics do not mask sub-national inequalities.
- We are fortunate this is also a key aspect of GNH…
- It demands respect for the relationship between people and the Earth, and – fundamental for today’s discussion
- It underlines that none of these goals will be reached without peace, justice and strong institutions.
BHUTAN AND SDGs
During the 11th Five Year Plan, of the 169 targets, 134 have already found a home in Bhutan’s policy framework. This illustrates the practical alignment between Gross National Happiness and the SDGs.
The United Nations has been working closely with the Gross National Happiness Commission to help build the Sustainable Development Goals into the 12th Five Year Plan, the drafting of which, is in its final stages to be approved by the next Government. The sixteen National Key Result Areas of the current draft are closely related to the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, with commendable overlap in areas such as gender and good governance.
Bhutan is participating in the Voluntary National Review of its Sustainable Development Goals at the 2018 High Level Political Forum in New York in July this year. We are grateful to have assisted in this work and be part of showcasing the results oriented development work that occurs here in Bhutan.
The SDGs provide shared global vision towards sustainable development for all and they under-pin the work of the UN here in Bhutan.
THE ROLE OF PARLIAMENTARIANS IN SDGS
As the highest legislative body, the National Council is seen to ensure pro-poor, gender sensitive, human rights-based environment for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals. The Parliament has the power to make legislations and approve international agreement, I hope the Honorable members will lend their support to help the United Nations in implementing all of the SDG goals but particularly those which relate to legislation regarding Goal 5 on Gender Equality, Goal 10 on Reduced Inequalities and Goal 16 on Good Governance.
The Parliamentary oversight mechanisms such as public hearings, question time at the Parliament sessions and the work done by Parliamentary Committees can be very effective in focusing on progress and the obstacles faced during the progress. Parliamentary Committees can call on government officials to provide data on the impact of government policies and programmes.
People are at the beating heart of democracy: The Members of Parliament can both generate political will and leverage space for a wide range of stakeholders, including women and youth, vulnerable and marginalized groups to be engaged in the decisions that affect their lives. Parliamentary partnerships with civil society organizations, academic institutions and the private sector can also be useful in helping parliamentarians to identify key challenges and in accessing expertise to address them.
If you are driving a car and you don’t have a good dashboard of information regarding the car, then who is driving the car?
The challenging data and reporting requirements of the Sustainable Development Goals and NKRA-GNH agenda are significant and we the UN are particularly committed to support this country in this area of work. A key role of Parliament is monitoring and implementation of the agenda, and I urge the Honorable members to support the strengthening of relevant institutions that work in this area (such as NSB) and attend to the issue of measurement, data collection and relevant and timely policies.
Bhutan’s important role in Global Relations
- Peacekeeping – protecting Countries and protecting Peace
- We the UN launched our first peacekeeping mission in 1948
- Today we have over 100,000 UN peacekeepers serving around the world of which over 44 are from the Kingdom of Bhutan
- Thank you for this great and important commitment to global peace.
- GNH
- Development needs to constantly upgraded
- 2012 resolution…International Happiness Day
- 193 sovereign states…The UN an important window on the world
CLOSING:
We the UN are inspired by Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and the 5 extraordinary qualities that define the Bhutanese also greatly resonate at the UN:
Sincerity, Mindfulness, Astuteness, Resilience and Timeless.
Let me take this opportunity to invite each and every one of you to UN House Thimphu and mention that on the 2nd Thursday of each month we specifically host what is called Bhutan Dialogues, where we openly discuss the opportunities and challenges around development with a special focus on Bhutan.
I have covered a lot of ground in a short time, if you have any questions, lets chat over the breaks.
I trust our interactions today will help you understand the United Nations’ role and find wise ways to be at your disposal to support the people of Bhutan on the journey that lies ahead. Let us work together for a better life of every Bhutanese. Let us work together to serve the Tsa-Wa_Sum.
Tashi Delek and Kardrinchey La
Youth Matters in Development
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Topic: Youth Matters in Development
Host: Dr. Karma Phuntsho is the founder of Loden Foundation, a development organization that promotes education and entrepreneurship in Bhutan as well as the Shejun Agency for Bhutan’s Cultural Documentation and Research.
Speaker: Aum Dorji Ohm is the Executive Director of Bhutan Youth Development Fund. She is also the chair of the National Action & Coordination Group of the South Asia Initiative to end Violence Against Children. Aum is also an instructor in Alternative Healing (pranic healing). She has a post graduate certificate in English Language and Literature from the Thames Valley University, London. During her spare time, Aum likes to practice yoga and meditation, read, write, trek and indulge herself in social work and designing (fashion and interior). She also enjoys volunteering for animal shelters and care.
Date: June 14, 2018
Venue: UN House, Kawajangsa, Thimphu
Time: 4:00 pm to 5:15 pm
The June session of Bhutan Dialogues will be followed by a short training on how to write a good Curriculum Vitae (CV). This is a special innovation to ‘Bhutan Dialogues’ so as to provide an additional learning experience for those who are interested.
As usual, please register on Eventbrite for the June 14th event!