Diplomatic World 67

H.E. TSHERING GYALTSHEN PENJOR
AMBASSADOR OF BHUTAN
TO THE KINGDOM OF BELGIUM
AND THE EUROPEAN UNION
UNLIKE MOST COUNTRIES THAT USE THE GROSS
DOMESTIC PRODUCT INDEX TO MEASURE
DEVELOPMENT, BHUTAN USED THE GROSS
NATIONAL HAPPINESS INDEX. IN A GLOBAL
SOCIETY OBSESSED WITH ECONOMIC MEAS-
URES, THIS MODEL PROVIDES A REVOLUTIONARY
AND HOLISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF DEVEL-
OPMENT. HOW HAS THIS MEASURE OF GROSS
NATIONAL HAPPINESS HELPED BHUTAN IMPROVE
ITS ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL
CONDITIONS?
we are set to graduate to a lower-Middle Income Country in
2023. We have more than halved our poverty rates since
2007 and the 2020 UNDP Human Development Report ranks
Bhutan highest amongst the Least Developed Countries on
overall human development. Our constitution mandates us to
maintain 60 percent of the country under forest cover for all
times to come. We currently have a total forest cover of 72.5
percent and we are one of the only carbon negative countries
in the world today, meaning that we sequester more greenhouse
gases than we ever release. Our ‘high value, low volume’
sustainable tourism policy has also helped our economy while
making sure that the negative impact from the tourism sector on
The term Gross National Happiness (GNH) was promulgated by
our environment and communities remain as low as possible. All
His Majesty the Fourth King of Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuck
these improvements in the social, economic and environmental
in 1972 when he said that “Gross National Happiness is more
spheres are due to the conscious policy decisions made under
important than Gross Domestic Product.” Since then, all socio-
the overarching philosophy of GNH.
economic policies and programs in Bhutan have been guided by
the philosophy of GNH. Through the GNH Index, Bhutan aimed
to create a measurement or screening tool that would be useful
for policy making and hence give rise to a conducive environment
for all to maximize happiness. The GNH index includes four
pillars viz. good governance, sustainable socio-economic development,
cultural preservation and environmental conservation.
Furthermore, the four pillars are classified into nine domains viz.
IN ITS 12TH FIVE YEAR PLAN (2018-2023), WHICH
WILL PAVE THE WAY FOR THE COUNTRY’S GRAD-
UATION FROM LDC STATUS, BHUTAN IS PAYING
CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE 2030 SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT AGENDA. WHAT STEPS IS
BHUTAN TAKING TO INTEGRATE AND MAIN-
STREAM THE 2030 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
GOALS INTO ITS NATIONAL STRATEGY AND
POLICIES? IS BHUTAN ON COURSE TO ACHIEVE
THESE OBJECTIVES?
use, cultural diversity and resilience, and community vitality. The
17 NKRAs are therefore closely aligned to the SDGs and their
targets and indicators are integrated into the 12th FYP. Bhutan
presented its second Voluntary National Review Report on the
implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda in
September 2021.
psychological well-being, health, education, time use, cultural
In Bhutan, we follow a planned five-year socio-economic devel-
diversity and resilience, good governance, community vitality,
opment program (FYP) which charts out the development agen-
When Bhutan undertook its first Voluntary National Review in
ecological diversity and resilience and living standards. These
da of the Government for a five-year period. The FYP coincides
2018, all SDGs except for SDG 17 were reported to be on track.
nine domains further cascade down into 33 indicators that aim
with the tenure of the elected Government which also lasts for
However, given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the
to capture the different aspects of well-being. The philosophy
five years. The 12th FYP commenced from 1st November 2018
achievement of several SDGs are reported to be at risk today
of GNH functions on the basis that humans need more than just
and will end on 31st October 2023. It has 17 National Key Result
particularly SDGs 1,4,8,10 and 17. Impacts across other SDGs
material wealth to pursue a productive life; it gives equal empha-
Areas (NKRAs) and takes into consideration the SDGs and other
have also been evident. While Bhutan has done well in terms of
sis to other non-material indicators such as spiritual, cultural and
regional and international commitments. Hence, all goals such
containing the spread of the pandemic and in keeping infection
environmental needs.
as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are mainstreamed
levels low, the implementation of pandemic containment meas-
into the respective FYP development programs. Moreover, all
ures has had far reaching impacts on the overall socio-economic
The GNH Policy Screening Tool implemented by the Gross
development policies and programs are guided by the overarch-
growth, with economic growth being revised to negative 6.1
National Happiness Commission makes sure that all government
ing philosophy of GNH. There is a strong resemblance between
percent in December 2020 from a growth projection of
projects and policies complement each other thereby maximizing
the domains of GNH and the SDGs. The SDGs call for pursuing
6.9 percent for 2020.
GNH. Guided by the philosophy of GNH, Bhutan has consider-
development through a balanced approach on social, econom-
ably improved its economic, environmental, social and governance
situation in the past four decades. We have recorded an
average growth rate of 7.5 percent since the early 1980s and
ic and environmental conditions. Similarly, the development
philosophy of GNH focuses on these three aspects as well as
on the other aspects such as psychological well-being, time
BHUTAN HAS MADE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES
BY BECOMING THE WORLD’S FIRST CARBON
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