SOCIETY 367 / 2015

DIPLOMATIE
BHUTAN
FACTS ABOUT
BHUTAN
Country name: Kingdom of
Bhutan/Druk Gyal Khab
Area: 38,394 km 2 (less than
half of Austria)
Population: approx.
750,000
Capital: Thimphu (pop. ca.
80,000)
Language: Dzongkha
Religion: 70 % Buddhists, 25
% Hindus, other minorities
Government: Parliamentary
constitutional monarchy;
Prime Minister Tshering
Tobgay
Head of State: King Jigme
Khesar Namgyal
Wangchuck
National day: 17 December
Currency: 1 Bhutanese ngultrum
(BTN) = approx. 0.015
EUR; fixed exchange rate
with Indian rupee
GDP: 1.8 billion USD
GDP per capita: 2,460 USD
National sport: Bow and
arrow
PaN-Award for the
Austian-Bhutan
Society in the Austrian
Foreign Ministry
Vice Presidents
Liselotte Waldheim-Natural
and
Eduard Graf
Land of the
Thunder Dragon
The Austrian-Bhutan Society is one of the most
active societies cooperating with Bhutan. It was
awarded the PaN-prize for its achievements.
Druk Yul Park in the 23rd
Viennese district
INFO
Austrian-Bhutan Society
of Cooperation, Friendship
and Culture
President:
Prof. Claus Walter
Vice Presidents:
Liselotte Waldheim-Natural,
Eduard Graf
Secretary General: Natalie
Gruber
Endemanngasse 6-18/2/39
1230 Vienna
Mobile +43-(0)660-4734
000
www.a-lp.at/bhutan
The “Austrian-Bhutan Society of Cooperation,
Friendship and Culture” was
established in Vienna in March 1998.
Founding President is Prof. Claus
Walter who knows Bhutan like the
back of his hand, having travelled the country for
dozens of times. From the beginning, the main
goal of the Austrian-Bhutan Society has been to
promote and foster people to people contacts as opposed
to governmental development cooperation.
•
Numerous successful projects
Many projects show the growing bonds between
the peoples of Austria and Bhutan in the
last 25 years.
• A park dedicated to Bhutan called “Druk Yul
Park” was created by the Municipal Department
for Parks and Gardens of Vienna.
• Students of the Secondary Technical and Vocational
College Mödling built an original Bhutanese
stupa and a mani wall adorned with the
Eight Auspicious Signs of Buddhism.
• Bhutanese students have received scholarships
for different master studies in Austria,
e. g. MODUL University, Medical University of
Vienna.
• The construction of a rural primary school in
Pangtokha, a remote eastern region of Bhutan,
was funded along the lines of the motto “Educational
Cooperation is an Investment into the
Future”. This was the first educational development
project between Austria and Bhutan. Ten
class rooms for 150 children were created.
• The “Bhutan Austria Society BAS” was established
in Thimphu. It is a reliable and non-bureaucratic
partner for Austrians travelling to
Bhutan.
•
PaN-Award
In 2014, the Austrian-Bhutan Society was
awarded the “PaN”-prize by the Austrian Federal
Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs
for its extraordinary achievements.
Bhutan’s official reaction to this award has
been a positive one: Foreign Minister Lyonpo
Ugyen Tshering personally congratulated the
Austrian-Bhutan Society on its achievement. “The
past 25 years have been marked by deep friendship,
goodwill and active cooperation, particularly
in the area of development support from Austria
to Bhutan”, he stated.
•
Distinction
In addition to the PaN-Award Vice Presidents
Liselotte Waldheim-Natural and Eduard Graf have
been honoured by the Federal President of Austria
Heinz Fischer for their achievements. •
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