Archives

Month: June 2017

Towards a Sustainable Development (Editorial)

Summer Edition , The potential of the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH) as an inspiration for “development with values” has drawn attention around the world. Since 1979, when His Majesty The Fourth Druk Gyalpo first coined the term, GNH has been studied by journalists, scholars, NGOs, and development experts. In 2011...

17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Summer Edition , Sustainable Development Goals 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere 2. End hunger, achieve food security and adequate nutrition for all, and promote sustainable agriculture 3. Attain healthy life for all at all ages 4. Provide equitable and inclusive quality education and life-long learning opportunities for all 5....

The Sustainable Development Goals: No More Business As Usual

Summer Edition , “The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development… is an important sign of hope. Solemn commitments, however, are not enough… Our world demands of all government leaders a will which is effective, practical and constant, concrete steps and immediate measures for preserving and improving the natural environment and...

Sustainable Development Goals and National Development Agenda

Summer Edition , Sustainable Development Goals and National Development Agenda Bhutan joined the international community and over 150 world leaders during the 70th UN General Assembly (UNGA), 25th September 2015, in adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs.  The 17 goals, 169 targets, and 231 indicators of the SDGs...

How Ireland is Adopting the Sustainable Development Goals

Summer Edition , The 17 Sustainable Development Goals, with their accompanying 169 targets, are a blueprint for the future development of mankind and of the planet. Never before has the world come together on an agenda of this kind. Breathtaking in its scope and ambition, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is...

Sustainable Development Goals and Gross National Happiness

Summer Edition , Are there commonalities between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Gross National Happiness (GNH)? Let me go straight to the point. They are compatible in the sense that the former is only a subset of GNH, just as democracy is a subset of GNH. They are incompatible in how...

SDGs: Value-added for GNH? Challenges and Innovations of a Development Alternative from a Socio-cultural Lens

Summer Edition , Introduction Gross National Happiness (GNH) is a living example of a development alternative, a unique voice against the backdrop of a GDP-centric, climate negative and globalised world. Upheld as holistic development with values, its moral concept, conceptual framework and index of measurement offer an innovative path for conceptualising, shaping...

The Role of Local Government in Sustainable Development

Summer Edition , Not If or When or Why, but How? The roles of Local Government (LG) is intertwined with national development. In that sense, the question is no longer whether we believe that Local Government is ready or not to take on more responsibilities and authority – although there are voices...

Parliamentary Action for SDGs

Summer Edition , I watched the United Nations General Assembly agree on the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September 2015, I was thinking about the Philippines. The Philippines is not one of the poorest nor least stable places in the world, but gross inequalities leave many living in poverty and squalor;...

The Challenge Of No Data and Poor Data

Summer Edition , Introduction On September 2015 world leaders adopted the Agenda 2030, the most comprehensive and ambitious global framework for sustainable development. The agenda’s most visible components are its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its 169 associated targets. Attracting much less attention, the United Nations Statistical Commission agreed on March...

Goodbye Poverty, Hello Equity: How Can Bhutan Do It?

Summer Edition , “Worrying where our next meal will come from… not having someone to care for me when I am sick… asking my neighbours to look after and feed my three-year old daughter and my mother when I go to work… yes poverty is real…” A single mother of three, Dorji...

Eradicating Poverty, Addressing Climate Change, Protecting The Terrestrial Ecosystem

Summer Edition , This paper presents a rationale behind the prioritisation of the Sustainable Development Goals in Bhutan. Bhutan, being a mountainous country, is highly vulnerable to the impact of climate change, according to a series of reports produced by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The prioritised Sustainable Development Goals...

Sustainable Consumption and Production : Why is it Important?

Summer Edition , “The situation the Earth is in today has been created by unmindful production and unmindful consumption. We consume to forget our worries and our anxieties. Tranquilising ourselves with over-consumption is not the way” – Thich Nhat Hanh Goal 12 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations...

Sustainable Energy : Is Hydropower the Answer?

Summer Edition , 1. Background Hydropower is viewed as the cornerstone of the Bhutanese economy, contributing to 14 percent of GDP and 26 percent of the annual revenue. India is Bhutan’s major partner in developing its hydropower resources, and co-operation in this sector symbolises the mutually beneficial nature of Bhutan-India relations. Electricity...

Agricultural Sustainability in Bhutan: a Perspective

Summer Edition , The Situation On 17 December, 2016, during the celebration of Bhutan’s National Day, His Majesty The King gave a path-breaking speech on the priorities for the development of the country. The central part of the speech outlined the importance of reviving and developing agriculture as the traditional local economy...

Sustainability of Bhutan’s Health Services

Summer Edition , Existing Health System The Bhutanese health system is predominantly government driven, both in financing as well as provision, and follows the principles of Universal Health Coverage. Service delivery, based on Primary Health Care, focuses on the promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative approach. The integration of traditional and allopathic medicines...

Education in Bhutan : Quality and Sustainability

Summer Edition , The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent a set of global aspirations to transform the world by 2030. It consists of 17 goals and 169 targets. Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) aims to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. As a signatory committed...

Women in Bhutan : the Gender Discussion

Summer Edition , It is spring – a time of hope and optimism. The flowers are in bloom, dry grasses are turning green, trees are sprouting new leaves, fresh vegetables and fruit are coming into season, winter is behind us. Our spirits are high. There is something else enhancing these colours this...