Back to news
12 Sep 2017 | News

Strengthening Ties with the Private Sector in Bhutan

Delegates from the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), a private sector body comprising of members from the Bhutanese business community, visited the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) headquarters in Kathmandu on 30 August 2017.

The visit was the first BCCI exposure trip organized outside Bhutan. It followed the June 2017 signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between BCCI and ICIMOD. The MoU was a commitment to strengthening private sector engagement in Bhutan through collaborative action in relation to ongoing BCCI and ICIMOD activities.

1 min Read

70% Complete
BCCI representatives at ICIMOD Photo Credit: Utsav Maden/ICIMOD

ICIMOD is committed to collaborating with private sector bodies in the Hindu Kush Himalaya to ensure sustainable development in the region. The delegation of more than 40 Bhutanese dzongkhag (district) representatives was headed by BCCI Secretary General Phub Tshering.

Basanta Shrestha, Director Strategic Cooperation, ICIMOD, welcomed the delegates. In his remarks, Shrestha stressed on the importance of fostering close collaborations with various businesses in Bhutan to upscale and improve the livelihoods of mountain people. BCCI Secretary General Tshering said that the BCCI and ICIMOD can work together to strengthen sustainable business opportunities and improve livelihoods in Bhutan. He said, “BCCI is confident that ICIMOD is the perfect partner for us. It will help us gain technical knowledge on value chains and market linkages, capacity building for mountain communities, and enterprise development for agro-based small- and medium-scale enterprises.”

Tshering emphasized that the partnership with ICIMOD would help Bhutan create business leaders who are agents for change in the future. Following the remarks, BCCI delegates had an insightful interaction session with ICIMOD colleagues working with various initiatives where they learned about the various ICIMOD activities in Bhutan. The session provided the delegates an opportunity to understand and explore the areas for future collaboration with ICIMOD.


Phub Tshering, Secretary General of BCCI, speaking to BCCI and ICIMOD representatives
Photo Credit: Utsav Maden/ICIMOD

As part of their business exposure visit, the BCCI delegates also visited the ICIMOD Knowledge Park in Godavari to learn about innovative technologies, mountain farming, and other practices that useful for sustainable development.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

Related content

Continue exploring this topic

30 May 2017 Forests
Cooperatives prepare business plans to promote agroforestry in Chitwan, Nepal

An orientation programme was conducted by Bhandari and Bishwa Raj Karki (an independent consultant) to sensitize cooperative members to the ...

12 Jun 2017 News
ICIMOD Celebrates the World Environment Day 2017

Articles written by ICIMOD staff members on the occasion of World Environment Day 2017 River basin management approach could increase agricultural ...

Lemon farming introduced at International Biodiversity Day Bahundangi, Jhapa

Students, teachers and the local community celebrated International Biodiversity Day 2016 at Mechi Janasadharan Higher Secondary School, Bahundangi, Jhapa on ...

27 Mar 2015 News
SERVIR-Himalaya hosts SERVIR Hub Exchange Programme

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) hosted the SERVIR Hub Exchange Programme from 10–13 March 2015. During the ...

24 Jan 2018 Cryosphere
Cryosphere Initiative field activities for the autumn 2017

Thana glacier, Bhutan In Bhutan, Sharad Joshi, Associate Glaciologist and two glaciologists from the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Germany, ...

25 May 2015 News
ICIMOD provides relief to earthquake-affected local staff

In the aftermath of the Great Earthquake of 25 April that ripped through north-central Nepal, ICIMOD put together ...

29 May 2017 Himalica
Vegetable Collection Center Launched in Bagaha, Udayapur

Himalica’s pilot project in Udayapur has been training farmers on climate-smart agricultural practices and technologies that can strengthen vegetable value ...

30 Jul 2015 Atmosphere Initiative
Emission study to close data gaps

Emission is a major determinant of air quality, and improving quantification and characterization of emission sources in the Hindu Kush ...