Bhutan

AGFUND AND UNDP CONTRIBUTE US$307,600 FOR EMPOWERMENT OF RURAL WOMEN

An inception meeting was held at the UN Conference Hall  on 25th May 2010 in Thimphu to initiate the project on "Poverty Alleviation and Empowerment of Rural Women in Bhutan'" which is funded jointly by the Arab Gulf Programme for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND) and UNDP. The meeting was attended by representatives from UNDP, Gross National Happiness Commission, Tarayana Foundation and RENEW.

The project is aimed at addressing the specific needs of employment and income generating activities of rural women through the provision of business and technical skills to create a supportive environment for rural economic empowerment as well as issues of curbing violence against women and promoting gender equality in two of the most disadvantaged districts: Samtse and Zhemgang.

"This is the very first AGFUND-funded initiative in Bhutan, and we hope to show robust results to build confidence of AGFUND that its contribution is making a difference to both men and women in the remote communities."

This was expressed by the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in his opening remarks. The project is aligned with the Tenth Five Year Plan's strategies for reducing poverty through implementation of targeted rural development interventions, and will adopt a participatory, gender sensitive and environmentally sound approach to help achieve the national goals of poverty reduction and development. The implementation period is twenty-four months, and the total budget is US$307,600 (AGFUND: $120,000; UNDP: $187,600).    

For more information, please contact Ms. Fumie Arimizu, Poverty & MDGs Unit, UNDP office in Thimphu at +975-2-322424.

AGFUND is a regional developmental funding organisation based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and is supported by the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Its Mission is to contribute to human development efforts through the support of development programs and projects.