Bhutan

Bhutan is largely known all over the world for its Gross National Happiness Index. In South Asia, Bhutan ranks first in economic freedom, ease of doing business, and peace, and is the least corrupt country in the region as of 2019.

The country installed democracy in 2008. It was not due to internal strife or external pressure, rather it was introduced by the King, who handed over democracy to the people. While the transition to democracy was peaceful, political actors are still learning to understand the concept as well practice of democracy. The same goes for the general population, where the understanding of democratic principles, rights and duties is rather new and limited, creating both a need and appetite to know and learn more in depth about this form of governance.

Our work

DIPD had a partnership with two organisations to strengthen democracy in Bhutan. The Bhutan Network for Empowering Women (BNEW) is a vibrant organisation working with and for women in politics. In 2019, BNEW was the key instigator of the Bhutan Women Parliamentary Caucus (BWPC) and acts as its secretariat.  

The Bhutan Democracy Dialogue (BDD) was the other partner. It is a forum for the four political parties in Bhutan. The forum provides training for party members and facilitates dialogue between the parties. In Bhutan only the two parties with most votes get into parliament as ruling and opposition party, respectively. Thus, the BDD plays an important role in sustaining dialogue between the parties inside and outside parliament.   

Read more about the partnership on the partnership page below.