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

16 Jan 2017 Gender in Koshi
ICIMOD Initiative Helping Watershed Communities in the Koshi Basin Come Together

In the floodplain Bakdhuwa village development committee of Saptari district, eastern Nepal, local communities often face challenges related to water ...

23 Sep 2015 News
ICIMOD joins Scientific and Technical Advisory Group of India’s National Mission on Himalayan Studies

The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India recently launched the National Mission on Himalayan Studies to ...

Enhancing Data Compilation and Management Skills

A two-day regional orientation on data compilation and management was organized at ICIMOD on 5-6 April 2016. About 15 participants, ...

5 May 2017 News
Strengthening Engagement with the Private Sector for Sustainable Mountain Development

For ICIMOD, engagement and partnerships with private sector entities are a means to support its vision and mission for sustainable ...

9 Jul 2019 HIMAP
Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment Discussed at 2019 UN High-Level Political Forum

The Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations in New York and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development ...

1 Jun 2016 News
ICIMOD’s REDD+ Himalaya Initiative Kicks off in Myanmar

The REDD+ Himalaya Initiative of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) was formally launched during a kick-off and ...

11 Mar 2016 Atmosphere Initiative
Ministerial Visits in Bhutan

On a mid-February visit to Thimphu and the Gyelyong Tshokhang (National Assembly of Bhutan), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain ...

11 Jun 2015 News
National partners from India trained on participatory natural resources management planning

From 11–18 May 2015, a workshop was held in the Indian part of the Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL) to facilitate ...