Reports & Publications

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• Click Here to download the FAQ on GNH

•  Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfers Framework

GNHC being the focal agency for the SAARC Development Goals, Research and Evaluation Division submitted the SDG mid-term review report 2011 to SAARC Secretariat. It is the first SDG related document prepared by Bhutan.

The report takes stock of the progress made thus far in each of the 22 goals and identifies issues and concerns that require more attention. It is also intended to raise awareness among the decision makers and renew political commitments to these important goals.
The SDG report 2011 shows that Bhutan is on track on most of the indicators. Under the livelihood theme, Bhutan has fared well in the areas of reducing poverty and hunger, reducing inequality, increasing rural infrastructures, increasing access to justice, and in mainstreaming concerns of women and children. Challenges, however, remain in addressing rising unemployment, especially among the youth. With regard to the health theme, the report reveals that child and maternal health have improved. Incidences of tuberculosis and malaria have also decreased while access to safe drinking water and sanitation has increased. However, shortage of doctors continues to be a problem.

In the area of education, gross enrolment ratio has exceeded 100 % with 117 % in 2010. Bhutan has achieved gender parity at both primary and secondary levels. However, the adult literacy rate was low with only 52.8 % in 2005. With respect to environment conservation, 72.5 % of the land area is covered with forest, out of which 51.32% of the land area is designated as protected areas and biological corridors. The quality of air, water and soil is not a major concern. However, solid waste disposal is increasingly becoming an environmental problem, especially in the urban areas of Thimphu and Phuentsholing.

• SDG Report 2011

• Cover Page
• Mid Term Review Report

The Bhutan Gender Statistics, 2010 is a first attempt at compiling and presenting vital sex-disaggregated data that has been collected by various agencies over the years. This publication seeks to highlight achievements that have been made in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment with the support of our development partners. At the same time, it is intended to draw attention to gender gaps and challenges faced by the country.

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• Bhutan Gender Statistics, 2010

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1. Population Perspective Plan
2. Population and Development Situation Analysis Report
3. Action Plan for Goals & Strategies Population Perspective Plan 2010

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1. Local Development Planning Manual
2. Annual Grant Guidelines for Local Government

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• Tenth Round Table Meeting Report 2008

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1. 10th Five Year Plan Main Document Volume I
2. 10th Five Year Plan Main Document Volume II

In order to facilitate direct participation of the people in the development and management of their own social, economic and environmental well being through decentralization and devolution of power and authority; and

Recognizing that Local Governments are elected bodies to represent the interests of local communities and to fulfil their aspirations and needs;

The National Assembly of Bhutan hereby enacts the Local Governments’ Act of Bhutan as follows:

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1. Local Governments’ Act Table of Contents – English Version
2. Local Governments’ Act  – English Version
3. Local Governments’ Act Table of Contents –  Dzongkha Version
4. Local Governments’ Act – Dzongkha Version

Bhutan’s planned development started in 1961 when the 1st Five-Year Plan (FYP) was initiated. Currently, the RGoB is on the threshold of starting the 10th FYP from 2008. This is the first study to assess the impact of the last 45 years of planned development and the effectiveness of planning procedures on rural development.

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• Rapid Rural Development Impact Assessment Report 2007

Bhutan fully subscribes to the Millennium Development Goals and they are in tune with the country’s national development priorities, including the overarching goal of Gross National Happiness. With poverty reduction as the main theme of Tenth Plan (2008-2013), the MDGs are integrated into the national development planning process.
While the country is on track to achieve most of the MDGs, the scarcity of resources is a significant constraint for the full realization of these goals. At the global level, broad estimates for achieving the MDGs have been made by institutions such as
the High Level Panel on Financing for Development and the World Bank and some countries have undertaken assessments to estimate the cost of achieving the MDGs at the national level. In Bhutan, recognizing the need and benefits of a realistic assessment of the resources needed to achieve the MDGs and to mainstream these goals into the Tenth Plan process, a needs assessment and costing exercise was initiated by the Planning Commission in June 2006.

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• Millennium Development Goals Needs Assessment and costing report

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• National Monitoring and Evaluation Manual 2006

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• SARRC Development Goals

Since 1961, seven Five-Year Development Plans have been completed successfully, despite the great challenges we faced. Our latent potentials have been realized beyond our expectations. Now, the pace of change is so great that it seems to propel us into the future. But the future cannot be what it brings to us, it must be how we want it to be. The socioeconomic changes must be what we seek, not completely what the forces beyond our control compel us to accept. Visioning is a means of determining our own future. Periodic reviews and preparation of long term plans are complementary activities in this direction. The Planning Commission Secretariat is pleased to coordinate the publication of a vision document whose perspective extends to 2020.

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1. Part I
2. Part II

The guidelines for preparation of the Ninth Five Year Plan (2002/03-2007/08) has been drawn based on the following documents and the consultations that had been carried out with all the stakeholders during the past three years of the Eighth Five Year Plan:

• Bhutan 2020: A Vision for Peace, Prosperity and Happiness, 1999
• The Government Restructuring Exercise, 2000
• The Midterm Review of the Eighth Five Year Plan, 2000
• Record of the Brainstorming Session for the Formulation of the Ninth Five Year Plan, 2000
• Report of the Ninth Plan Core Group Visits to the Dzongkhags, 2000
• Development Toward Gross National Happiness, 7th Round Table Meeting held in Thimphu from 7-9 November 2000.

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• Overall Plan Policies and fram work
• Guidelines for Preparation of the Ninth Five Year Plan
• Dzongkhag Plan Guidelines

he Bhutan Human Development Report 2005 is the second in a series of national human development reports planned for Bhutan. The first report, prepared in 2000, focused on the theme of Gross National Happiness, while the current report covers the theme of youth employment. The Bhutan HDR 2005 consists of two parts; the first section deals with the overall state of human development in Bhutan and the second focuses on the thematic issue of youth employment.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) now constitute a critical part of our national efforts to monitor progress towards the realization of the Millennium Declaration. This publication, the second MDG Report, seeks to reflect the prevailing situation in the achievement of the MDGs in Bhutan and highlights the numerous measures undertaken nationwide to address the core issues. It evaluates the critical challenges and gaps that could impede attainment of the goals, and identifies the key priorities for evelopment support. As with the first MDG Report, the current Report is essentially intended as a means to widely promote, sensitize and popularize the MDGs and stimulate broader discussions of how Bhutan can sustain progress towards the full and complete realization of the MDGs.

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1. Part I
2. Part II
3. Part III
4. Part IV

The Eighth Plan (1997-2002) will be completed by the end of June 2002 and the Ninth Plan will begin from the 1st of July 2002. The Ninth Plan (2002-2007) begins amidst unprecedented historical changes in the country. The decentralization process, initiated by His Majesty the King in 1981, has been fostered over two decades through gradual increases in empowerment and entrustment of responsibility commensurate with the ability of the people. The steady process of decentralization culminated in 1998 with the devolution of executive powers from the Throne to an elected Council of Ministers. In November 2001, in yet another historic move, His Majesty Commanded the drafting of a written Constitution for the country. As the pillar of the country’s governance, the Constitution will embody the expectations and aspirations of the people and safeguard the sovereignty and security of the nation for all time to come.

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• 9th Plan Report Presented to the 80th Session of National Assembly

Since the introduction of planned development in the country, Bhutan has focussed on enriching the lives of its people, improving standards of living and in augmenting people’s economic, spiritual and emotional well being. The tenets of Gross National Happiness (GNH), articulated by His Majesty, the King define the development framework for the country and emphasise on sustainable development and self-reliance of its people. GNH places the individual at the centre of development and articulates five priority areas

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• Gender Pilot Study Report

It was only in 1961, when His Majesty the late King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, the third monarch, ended Bhutan’s self-imposed isolation and embarked on the path of modern development that the country became an active member of the global ommunity. Until then, Bhutan was a self-contained traditional rural society. People cultivated as much as they needed and had a ustainable relationship with nature. They bred animals, wove their own cloth and made pottery. There were no roads, mules, yaks and horses were the principal mode of transport. Hence, modern development that began less than four decades ago has involved building roads, schools and industries. It has meant putting in place a proper system of administration, a network of roads and communication facilities. Enhancing the provision of modern health, sanitation, safe drinking water services and electricity also featured prominently amongst Bhutan’s development priorities.

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• National Human Development Report 2000

The Five Year Plans form an important guiding framework for Bhutan’s socio-economic development. Accordingly, the Royal Government had attached great importance to the review of the Five Year Plans and instituted Mid Term Review as an important exercise to assess the progress of the plan activities and to provide remedial measures to the constraints and problems faced during implementation.

The Mid Term Review of the 8th Five Year Plan was of particular significance since several important events took place during the first two years of the plan. The devolution of power from the throne to the elected members of the Council of Ministers represent a land mark in Bhutan’s socio-political system which has far reaching affect in the development planning process.Review.
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• 8th Five Year Plan Sectoral Midterm Review Report

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is the international agreement adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly. It consists of a preamble and 30 articles, defining what constitutes discrimination against women and setting up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. As such, CEDAW is often described as an international bill of rights for women.

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• Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Agianst Women

The Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) has initiated a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) process as a part of the broader ongoing efforts to combat poverty. The main objective of the PRSP process is to strengthen the strategic framework for poverty reduction, improve donor coordination, and build support for new initiatives in public expenditure management and poverty monitoring and evaluation. The envisaged process builds directly on the Ninth Five-Year Plan (Ninth Plan), and this Cover Note together with the Ninth Plan document will comprise the PRSP.

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• Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper