The Chief Advisor of the interim government, Thrimchi Lyonpo Tshering Wangchuk, met with the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Achim Steiner

September 27, 2018

The Chief Advisor of the interim government, Thrimchi Lyonpo Tshering Wangchuk, met with the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Achim Steiner at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 26 September.

During the bilateral meeting, the Chief Advisor and Achim Steiner discussed on the close partnership between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the UN and UNDP, and the Chief Advisor acknowledged the ‘very good’ relationships.

Achim Steiner also expressed his strong interest to attend the 14th Round Table Meeting for Bhutan scheduled to be held early next year. During the Round Table meeting, delegations from partner organizations, including bilateral donors and international organizations will be present. It is also an opportunity for the government to ensure better alignment of development assistance with the national priorities of the 12th five-year plan. It will also be an opportunity to reflect on SDG progress and innovations, and alignment of new approaches with GNH and government priorities.

Amongst several areas of collaboration discussed, ecotourism in Bhutan has been identified as a major potential in Bhutan to mainstream biodiversity conservation in tourism development and sustainable livelihood opportunities and reduce negative impact on socio-cultural heritage, ecology, and rich biodiversity of Bhutan, thereby promoting Bhutan as a model ecotourism destination.