11 August, Thimphu: The Ministry of Agriculture and Forests and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) co-organised the ‘Bhutan–ICIMOD Country Consultation on Co-designing ICIMOD’s Medium-Term Action Plan V (2023–2026)’. Over 55 participants from 33 organisations – government agencies, non-governmental organisations, academic and research organisations, development organisations, community-based organisations, civil society, and private sector entities – participated in the Consultation.
Speaking at the event, Dr Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, ICIMOD noted, “Bhutan has been a founding member of ICIMOD since 1983. We are grateful to the Royal Government of Bhutan for their continuous engagement with us and, in the context of ICIMOD’s raised ambitions for the MTAP V, for ensuring that the country’s needs and priorities are well articulated as we seek to establish stronger relationships and ownerships for collective national and regional actions.” The ICIMOD delegation was headed by Dr Gyamtsho and accompanied by Mr Basanta Raj Shrestha, Director of Strategic Operations and other officials.
Through its MTAP V, ICIMOD is charting its path forward for the next four years in close collaboration with its regional member countries. The consultation in Bhutan was the seventh in a series of country consultations held across its eight regional member countries. These consultations are meant to help ICIMOD share and invite inputs into its plans for the next four years, translate them into feasible actions plans that can yield tangible results and benefits to the RMCs, and foster regional cooperation among the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) nations.
During its MTAP V period, the co-design and co-development process will be crucial to ICIMOD as it seeks to align its plans with national priorities and deepen engagement and ownership by the member countries like Bhutan and stakeholders within these countries. His Excellency Lyonpo Yeshey Penjor, Minister of Agriculture and Forests stated, “We welcome ICIMOD’s efforts to align with the priorities of the Royal Government of Bhutan and to engage in partnerships that benefit the HKH mountains and people.”
The Consultation featured presentations and discussions of joint activities between partners in Bhutan and ICIMOD. Furthermore, interest was expressed in building on future collaborations for sustainable mountain development, including the promotion of ecotourism with a view to promote sustainable economic enterprises and livelihood options; management of human–wildlife conflict and biological corridors; ensuring of water security through springshed management; promotion of organic agriculture towards a sustainable future; protection of yak, a Himalayan icon, and the livelihood systems associated with highland ago-pastoralism; and the promotion of entrepreneurship for green mountain economies.
Through its Strategy 2030, ICIMOD will actively work to attract investment that will enable the diverse countries and communities of the HKH to transition to greener, more inclusive, and climate-resilient development. Dasho Thinley Namgyel, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Forest, also a member of the ICIMOD Board of Governors, said, “The long-term partnership between ICIMOD and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests is testament to how Bhutan values this cooperation and to our interest in deeper engagement and collaboration with ICIMOD in the coming years.”
As Bhutan kickstarts the conceptualisation phase for the 13th Five Year Plan (2024–2029), the time is right to explore synergies and build alignments between ICIMOD’s strategy, vision, and plans and Bhutan’s national priorities and programmes. 
-ICIMOD
