Bhutan

Poverty Reduction

Poverty is a reality in contemporary Bhutan. The Poverty Analysis Report 2007 indicates that about 23.2 % of the country’s population is poor and that poverty in Bhutan is predominantly a rural phenomenon. The Royal Government, however, has always been aware and concerned about the circumstances and conditions of rural population, which, though free from destitution and hunger, is far from comfortable. Accordingly, the Royal Government continues to strategically focus its development efforts towards improving the lives and the well being of its people and eradicating poverty in all its dimensions in Bhutan.  Poverty reduction has been identified as the core development theme in the Royal Government’s Tenth Five Year Plan (2008-2013) with poverty to be mainstreamed into all development initiatives along with the implementation of targeted sustainable livelihoods interventions. The Royal Government is committed to reducing national poverty to below 15% by the end of the 2013.

The UNDP assistance and support for poverty reduction in Bhutan fall mainly within the following areas:

• Elaboration of Development Reports to Inform Policies and Development Plans
• Establishment of a National Poverty Monitoring System
• High-Impact Poverty Reduction Programmes

Past Assistance to Poverty Reduction. [ more...]

Ongoing Projects

Title/Project Description
Labour Market Analysis and Employment Generation
Results Based Planning and M&E for the MDGs and GNH
Targeted Community Development and Pro-poor Local Governance Initiatives
Children and Youth Participation
Promotion of Culture Based Creative Industry for Poverty Reduction and Community Vitalization
Formulation of policy framework for private sector development