Sustainable Development Strategy for Bhutan
The Kingdom of Bhutan, located in South Asia, between China and India, is a country of mountains, from the Himalayas to lower-lying foothills and some savannah. The strong sense of culture and tradition that binds the kingdom and clearly endures, apart from the majestic natural beauty, is in the minds of many as the kingdom is the only Vajrayana Buddhist nation in the world. For the Bhutanese the concept of ‘ Gross National Happiness ’is an ideology, largely influenced by Buddhist principles, acknowledging that the pursuit of happiness is found in all people and is the strongest force of desires. This ideology was the brain child of His Majesty the King Jigme Singye Wangchuck. Bhutan has adopted several international agreements on sustainable development and environmental protection at the United Nations Conference for Economic Development (UNCED) and World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) and has ratified the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s). In line with the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI), Bhutan is committed to the development of a national sustainable development strategy (NSDS) based on existing policies and planning mechanism, including the “The Middle Path” National Environmental Strategy for Bhutan, with new constitution and other policy documents serving as a baseline to address the priorities and challenges of the country development.
Meeting Reports
