Bilateral meeting with Mr Dasho Thinley Namgyel, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Bhutan

Bangkok – The FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met with Dasho Thinley Namgyel, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Bhutan, on the margins of the International Soil and Water Forum 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Secretary thanked the Director-General for the generous and action-oriented support extended by FAO to Bhutan, and in particular highlighted the ‘One Child, One Egg’ initiative that will improve the nutrition of more than 200,000 Bhutanese children and expressed gratitude for FAO’s continued support to the initiative. The Director-General reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to collaborating closely with Bhutan to mobilize resources and ensure the success of the project.

The Secretary also highlighted the launch at COP29 of the G-ZERO initiative to champion carbon neutrality, of which Bhutan is one of the four founding member countries. The Secretary further emphasized the Agriculture Sustainability Fund announced by H.E. Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minster of Bhutan, during the World Food Forum held in October 2024. The new Fund will play a key role in enabling Bhutan’s long-term transformation towards sustainable and inclusive agrifood systems.

The Director-General encouraged Bhutan to deepen collaborations with other countries in the region and beyond to promote and share progress on achieving carbon neutrality and sustainable agricultural development. Finally, the Director-General reaffirmed  FAO’s continued support in promoting food security and sustainable agrifood systems in Bhutan.