To celebrate and strengthen partnerships supporting Bhutan’s development goals, the government and the United Nations have launched Bhutan’s first Sustainable Development Goals Partnership Week. This week-long event, which began yesterday in the capital, brings together development partners, youth, and the private sector to tackle complex challenges and promote sustainable growth across the country.
Eighteen-year-old Prim Rajasurang, a youth representative at the Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development, is a passionate climate advocate.
As a speaker at SDG Partnership Week, she brings over three years of experience in climate advocacy.
Growing up on a Thai island, Prim first encountered the impact of climate change at a young age.
“Our sea level is rising, and the sea temperature is hotter than usual. The sand is boiling. And this is inhabitable for humans and even animals. Some animals are extinct, endangered, and dead. And this is sad. It impacts us in our daily lives through heat waves, floods, severe weather from the mountains, and the glacier lake melting.”
Prim said that innovation, technology, and youth communities worldwide can drive meaningful change to better address climate challenges.
In Bhutan, this resonates locally with students like Tendel Wangmo and organisations like the Tarayana Foundation, which are working with youth at the grassroots level for climate action.
Tendel Wangmo, a student of Motithang Higher Secondary School said “Even a little contribution such as knowing the proper waste disposal and living a sustainable life every day is a huge contribution towards climate change action. So, every year one can actively participate in locally-led climate action such as hackathons, taking part in identifying the problems in the community then bringing up innovative solutions.”
Sonam Pem, Executive Director of Tarayana Foundation said “We have Tarayana school clubs throughout the country. So, these clubs take inspiration from the work that Tarayana does. And as part of climate action, the clubs, have been working on protecting streams, protecting the watersheds in their communities or the vicinity of their schools. And they have also been advocating for behavioural change on waste.”
The SDG Partnership Week will also feature various dialogues, including leveraging AI & digital innovation for advancing gender equality, Bhutan’s demographic transition, and prevention of non-communicable diseases in Bhutan, among others.
Sonam Yuden
Edited by Sherub Dorji
