Bhutan Canada Foundation

Happy #InternationalDayofHappiness! Living through the pandemic has taught as all the importance of #happiness in the lives of people around the world. Learn how Bhutan's 'happiness approach' that prioritized a lens of interdependence, individual and societal interconnection, and good governance helped promote a resilient response to the pandemic. See blog: https://bhutancanada.org/happinessapproach/

Wishing His Royal Highness Gyalsey Ugyen Wangchuck a happy first birth anniversary We offer our prayers for the Gyalsey's wellbeing and health on this joyous and special day. Photo credit: Her Majesty the Queen's Facebook page

Today Bhutan reports zero active cases of COVID-19 Incredible news as the country begins registering individuals for mass vaccination

The first phase of the #TransBhutanTrail project is now complete . Learn about the next phase which will build partnerships, support local businesses and products along the trail, and build amenities on the route. See our latest trail #blog for more Link: https://bhutancanada.org/march-2021-blog/

This #IWD2021 lets work towards removing systemic barriers to advance women and girls in decision-making roles, improve the economic security of women, and end gender based violence. Learn how Bhutan is working towards #FeministRecovery in our latest blog: https://bhutancanada.org/moving-towards-feminist-recovery/

Happy #InternationalWomensDay! Today is a day to empower and celebrate the achievements made by women, while also pledging to take action for gender equality. We take a pledge for #FeministRecovery to support a gender equitable and inclusive recovery from COVID-19. Photo credit: René Bastien #IWD2021 @InternationalWomensDay2021

We are humbled to take part in a conversation on partnerships for COVID-19 recovery and sustainable tourism with Dasho Dorji Dhradhul, Director General Tourism Council of Bhutan Stay tuned for the release of Tapestry 2030 in your podcast app on February 8 during #InternationalDevelopmentWeek Canada in Bhutan

The teaser for the upcoming Tapestry 2030 podcast is out now! We’re excited to kick off the series in episode 1 featuring COVID-19 recovery using the just recovery principles in the Trans Bhutan Trail project. We’ll also be joined by a very special guest. Can you guess who it is? Hint: Happiness is a place. Thanks Ontario Council for International Cooperation, Safa Shahkhalili from rethinkingdevelopment and Amanda Schutz for featuring this story. Link: https://open.spotify.com/show/64pNqCj3iTPPVsC79yNO8L

What role can collective responsibility, the Gross National Happiness index, and tourism play in Bhutan's COVID-19 recovery? Learn more in this article we are featured in from @TorontoStar Link: https://www.thestar.com//trying-to-keep-out-covid-tiny-bhu

We’re excited for the release of Tapestry 2030, a podcast and illustration series from Ontario Council for International Cooperation. We’ll be featuring how partnerships enabled meaningful COVID-19 recovery through the Trans Bhutan Trail project. The podcast was developed with Safa Shahkhalili from rethinkingdevelopment and the illustration by Amanda Schutz. Stay tuned for the release on February 8, during International Development Week!

The first consignment of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Bhutan today! This generous gift of 150,000 Covidshield vaccines from the Government of India marks a new milestone in the fight against the pandemic.

Disruption for the sake of disruption is not enough. Read our take on institutionalized gender and Gross National Happiness governance in our latest #ThinkPiece, where we ask what the road ahead looks like for meaningful gender action in Bhutan. Link: https://bhutancanada.org/disrupting-the-disruption-gender-/

Today is #WorldChildrensDay, marking the anniversary of the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. The Bhutan Canada Foundation joins the UN in calling for a reimagining of a better future for children in Bhutan and across the world.

His Majesty assumed the mantle and responsibilities of Kingship at the age of 16, when ordinary people are still growing up. By the age of 51, when most people... are still striving to achieve their lifelong goals, His Majesty, at the height of His golden reign, abdicated the throne after having accomplished prodigious feats. Where ordinary people crave wealth and power, His Majesty crowned a new King, introduced democracy and handed over the responsibility of governance to His people. Such an act of superlative altruism was unprecedented in the history of the world. - His Majesty The King, November 11, 2015 The peace and happiness we enjoy in Bhutan is a result of the extraordinary leadership of His Majesty King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the Father of our Nation. On this special day, we join the people of Bhutan in offering our humble wishes to our beloved Fourth Druk Gyalpo.

Rinchenpung Dzong, meaning fortress on a pile of jewels, is one of the many historic names of Paro Dzong. Learn about the past of this dzong and one of the jewels, the Thongdrol, which is a scared large scale appliqué where Buddhists receive blessings: http://bhutancanada.org/fortress-on-a-pile-of-jewels/

UBC Himalaya Program is hosting 'Himalayan Research in the time of COVID-19: Views from Canada'. Join this roundtable discussion with a panel of graduate students and emerging scholars on November 13, 2020. See more details here:

For me the idea of restoring our great grandfather’s footsteps and making all of us in the current generation feel what they went through without roads is simply great. Dr. Kinley Tenzin, Executive Director of RSPN Bhutan (Royal Society for Protection of Nature). Read his #TransBhutanTrail interview here: http://bhutancanada.org/interview-kinley-tenzin/

"In the long run, if we are able to maintain the trail, I see lots of benefits for the country in terms of knowing our history, knowing the kind and types of people living along the trail and the languages they speak, and experiencing the flora and fauna." Read our interview with Dasho Kado Zangpo, Director of the Department of Local Governance under the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs, and member of the #TransBhutanTrail steering committee: