The three-day Paro Forum 2025 began on 22nd February, bringing experts and leaders from diverse fields together to address urgent water management and climate change challenges. Her Royal Highness Princess Sonam Dechan Wangchuck graced the opening.
Delivering the keynote address, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay said although Bhutan has successfully preserved its natural environment, climate change and glacial melting pose serious risks to the country’s water resources and threaten lives and livelihoods.
“We have preserved our natural environment, we have conserved and protected our natural environment, and this is why our watersheds are healthy. But we are the most vulnerable, because with a warming planet, with climate change, with melting glaciers, with the risk of glacial lake outburst floods, our water flows are not going to be as sustainable as they should be while also creating grave threats to lives and livelihoods.”
The three-day forum will feature ten expert-led sessions on water management and climate change.
“The Paro Forum gives us students, a unique opportunity to learn real-world challenges through research and advocacy. It also allows us to interact with experts and learn from professionals,” said Choki Pelden Lhamo, a participant.
“Understanding how to deal with water and how to manage water is probably the most pressing problem. Bhutan has such a good supply of water in its glaciers and yet those glaciers are under threat. And so, addressing those problems, trying to determine the best course, how to protect the environment while also ensuring that Bhutan’s economy remains strong,” said Victor V. Ramraj, a participant from Canada.
The JSW Law Climate Change and Environmental Law Centre is hosting the event.
After three days of discussions and debates, the forum will develop a road map identifying key challenges in water management and climate change, along with potential strategies which will be submitted to the government.
Namgay Wangchuk, Paro
Edited by Sonam Pem
