Canada will assist Bhutan in the areas of education, environment and climate change, gender equality, and capacity building. It was discussed during the first biennial Canada-Bhutan consultations held in Thimphu yesterday.
Nadir Patel, Canada’s Ambassador to Bhutan led the Canadian delegation for the consultations. The delegation agreed to grant a new Canada Fund for local initiatives project worth Nu 1 M to provide vocational training for more than a hundred Bhutanese youth living with disabilities in the East. Canada will also work in partnership with the Health Ministry and National Commission for Women and Children (NCWC) by providing technical assistance for the empowerment of women and girls and provide advisory support and expertise in the areas of high-altitude medicine.
There will also be a bilateral partnership to support the implementation of sustainable natural resource governance in Bhutan, and contribute policy expertise to advance tax reforms in the country.
Canada will also launch a bio-metrics collection in Bhutan on a pilot basis beginning the first half of 2020 to enhance education and employment opportunities for Bhutanese in Canada.
The bilateral consultations are the outcome of the Memorandum of Understanding between Global Affairs Canada and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed on December 12, 2018.
Currently, Canada supports Bhutan in the areas of health, socio-economic, gender-responsive services, and education.
Kinley Dem
