Bhutan Dialogues

Tshering Cigay Dorji has been heading the operation and management of Thimphu TechPark Limited since 2012, initially as the COO and then as the CEO since 2015, and he has largely been instrumental in making the IT Park a vibrant place where hundreds of youths work. Since 2019, he has played the crucial role of transforming Thimphu TechPark Ltd. into an IT services company besides managing the Technology Park, and now leads a team of around 70 IT professionals undertaking various software projects. He has Ph.D in computer engineering (NLP and text mining) from the University of Tokushima, Japan, and Master of Management from the University ofCanberra.

Speaker: Dr. Rinchen Chophel Being an expert on Gender, Human Rights and particularly known as a key champion of Child Rights and Ending Violence Against Children, nationally, regionally and globally, Dr. Rinchen Chophel has continued to support a multitude of agencies including the SAARC Secretariat in many key regional projects and initiatives. Dr.Rinchen Chophel pioneered the work on promoting and protecting the rights of women and children in Bhutan. He also has extensive experience in working with the Governments of South Asia as well as with the UN, NGOs, academia and research organizations in the region and beyond. Dr Rinchen Chophel is currently serving as the Director General of SAIEVAC (South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children ) with Chapters in all 8 SAARC Member States. He is also a serving Member of the UN CRC Committee (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) and was appointed as the RENEW Ambassador in 2021.Host: Dr. Karma Phuntsho Dr.Karma is a Buddhist author, thought leader, and the Founder/President of the Loden Foundation. He is Write-in-Digital-Residence for the Buddha Nature of the Tsadra Foundation.

Speaker: Lyonpo Dr. Tandi Dorji Lyonpo Dr. Tandi Dorji is the Minister for Foreign Affairs. He is a pediatrician by profession. Lyonpo is the founding member of Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa, the current ruling party governing Bhutan. He has co-authored two books; History of Medicine in Bhutan and Drukyul Decides; In the minds of Bhutan’s first voters. Host: Gerald Daly Gerald Daly is the Resident Coordinator of the UN in Bhutan. He served as Policy Adviser and Team Leader of Programme, Joint Funding and Business Operations in the UN Development Group. His focus areas included ensuring cross-UN ownership and development of Delivering as One at both strategic and operational levels along with funding/implementation of integrated policy work. 

Speaker: Dr. Will Parks Will is the representative of UNICEF Bhutan Country Office. For the last 26 years in over 40 countries, Will has led the design and management of programmes that have achieved strong results for children as well as built the capacities of communities, governments, civil society organizations, academia, the private sector, media, and international agencies. He specializes in economic policy, communication, public health, and evaluation.Before his appointment as UNICEF Representative in Bhutan, Will was UNICEF Representative in the Islamic Republic of Iran, successfully expanding UNICEF’s network of government and private sector partners to achieve important results for children and adolescents. Prior to Iran, he was UNICEF’s Chief of Field Operations in Iraq, contributing to the leadership of the agency’s response to one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises. Before Iraq, Will was the Deputy Representative for UNICEF in Nepal coordinating a US$28 million per annum programme that delivered outcomes for children and women in the most vulnerable parts of this post-conflict, disaster-prone country. Earlier in his career, Will successfully led a series of new economic policy, planning and evidence-based advocacy initiatives as the Chief of Policy, Advocacy, Planning and Evaluation in UNICEF Pacific’s multi-country office. He has worked extensively with the Australian Government, the Asian Development Bank, the UK Department for International Development, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF’s Regional Offices for East Asia and the Pacific, South Asia, and East and Southern Africa. Host: Dr. Karma Phuntsho A Buddhist author, thought leader, and the founder/President of the Loden Foundation. He is Write-in Digital-Residence for the Buddha Nature of the Tsadra Foundation. 

Topic: Human Capital & Removing Stigma in Technical PathwaysSpeaker: Kinga TsheringKinga Tshering is currently working on reform strategies for technical and vocational education with the Prime Minister’s Office. He is also a member of the National Task Force for the Economic Road Map. He has an engineering background with management experiences.Host: Lopen Karma PhuntshoLopen Karma Phuntsho is the Founder and President of Loden Foundation

Introducing Youth Dialogues SPECIAL EDITION: The Future We WantDr. Karma Phuntsho will discuss youth related issues with three youth panelists.Namgyal Tsheden: Recently graduated from Brown University with a double major in economics and environmental studies (science and policy), and now employed at DHI. Passionate about climate change and gender equality and the role of young people in developing solutions to these issues.Ngawang Gyelthsen: Artist and business leader currently serving as the Producer of Bhutan’s literature festival - Bhutan Echoes Drukyul’s Literature Festival, Asia's Ambassador for Akoin a crypto-currency and digital wallet system designed to connect the economies of Africa with the global economy and a 2018 One Young World Peace Ambassador.Jurmey Choden Rinzin: Completing a degree in Political Science and Sociology at Royal Thimphu College. Representative of the Model United Nations as a delegate of the UNDP Committee under the patronage of the Nepal Ambassador and as a member of the Executive Board of the UN Women Committee. A 2012 Youth Leader of the Global Education and Leadership Foundation.

Speaker: Aum Phub Zam is the first female President of the BCCI. She is also the Honorary Consul of Sweden in Bhutan. She has a wide range of experience having worked as Board Director in numerous organisations in Bhutan. She is recognised as the Highest Woman Personal Income Tax Payer (PIT). Phub Zam is the president of Yarkay Group Private Limited. In 1984, she was awarded the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce (BCCI) Golden Chedeon Sengtoi Award for distinguished and exceptional service of high order in the field of outstanding service to the BCCI and Business Community of Bhutan.Host: Dr. Karma Phuntsho is the Founder and President of Loden Foundation, a development organization that promotes education, social entrepreneurship and Bhutan’s culture and tradition as well as the Shejun Agency for Bhutan’s cultural Documentation and Research.

Speaker: Dasho Ugen Tsechup DorjiDasho Ugen Tsechup Dorji is an alumni of Modern School Delhi and St Joseph’s College, North Point, Darjeeling. He went on to complete history Honours from St. Stephens College, Delhi. He has held various important posts in the Govt. of Bhutan, namely Consul General of Thailand to Bhutan. He was the President of Commerce and Industry in Bhutan for many years and is presently the Chairman of the Zimdra Group and Vice Chairman of the Singye Group one of the leading Business houses of Bhutan. Dasho Ugen takes keen interest in Sports and he is the President to Bhutan Football Federation. He is an Executive Member of the Bhutan Olympics Committee.Host: Lopen Karma PhuntshoThe Founder and President of Loden Foundation, a development organization that promotes education, social entrepreneurship and Bhutan's culture and tradition as well as the Shejun Agency for Bhutan's cultural Documentation and Research.

Speaker: Karma YontenKarma Yonten is Bhutan’s first citizen to turn waste management and recycling into a business. His pioneering enterprise, Greener Way, is tackling the country’s growing waste problem head-on: it collects, separates and correctly disposes of domestic waste material; it manages 1,140 tonnes of recyclable matter; it has launched groundbreaking education initiatives; and it turns organic waste into high-grade compost. Karma, who was always determined to be self employed as well as serve his community, was becoming increasingly concerned about mismanaged waste and related issues such as unsightly landfills, leaching toxins and dangerous side-effects on people’s healthHost: Ms. Azusa KubotaAzusa Kubota is the Resident Representative United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). She was previously Country Manager and Head of UN Joint Presence Office in Solomon Islands for UNDP, UNICEF and UNWOMEN, and led the design and implementation of UN joint programmes in support of peace building, social cohesion and elections prior to and post withdrawal of Regional Assistance Mission in Solomon Islands (RAMSI), as well as a number of climate change projects.

Topic: Transforming Bhutan into a Digital NationSpeaker:Sonam PeldenSonam Pelden is a technology entrepreneur - she is the founder of Code for Bhutan and Bhutan PLUS, which aims to be the leading source of technology in Bhutan by investing, developing and fostering a flourishing community of professionals pursuing careers in technology. She has previously helped start ServisHero, a services marketplace in Southeast Asia and has since then built and scaled a few other tech companies. Sonam has a B. Sc Neuroscience and Economics from Brown University and an MBA from the University of Oxford. Sonam was previously a Finance and Economics Editor at The Economist. In 2017, She was recognized for her contributions in the consumer technology space and named one of Forbes' 30 under 30 most promising tech entrepreneurs. Sonam is also part of the National Task Force of Bhutan which was created to draft the 21st-century economic roadmap.Host: Lopen Karma PhuntshoThe Founder and President of Loden Foundation, a civil society organization that promotes education, social entrepreneurship and Bhutan’s culture and tradition.

Lopen karma Phuntsho in conversation with three panelists:Pema DorjiRinzin GellayDechen Seldon

Speaker: Dr Rui Paulo De JesusDr Rui Paulo de Jesus joined WHO Country Office for Bhutan in January 2017 as WHO Representative. Prior to joining in WHO Bhutan, he has been working in WHO South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) in New Delhi, India as Coordinator for Country Support and Coordination. Dr Rui has held senior positions in WHO/SEARO viz. Regional Advisor, Leprosy Elimination Programme (2012-2014), Regional Advisor (Communicable Diseases Control (2010-2012), Technical Officer, Country Cooperation Strategy and Governing Bodies (2009), and Technical Officer, Sustainable health policy (2006-2009). Prior to joining WHO, Dr Rui has worked with the World Bank Office, Timor-Leste as Senior Health Specialist (2004-2005). He has also held various senior positions in the government of Timor-Leste during the UN East Timor Transitional Administration.Speaker Mr. Gerald DalyMr. Gerald Daly is the Resident Coordinator of the UN in Bhutan since March 2017. Prior to his appointment as RC for Bhutan, Gerald served as Policy Adviser and Team Leader of Programme, Joint Funding and Business Operations in the UN Development Group (2011-2017). His focus areas included ensuring cross-UN ownership and development of Delivering as One at both strategic and operational levels along with funding/implementation of integrated policy work.Host: Lopen Karma PhuntshoThe Founder and President of Loden Foundation, a development organization that promotes education, social entrepreneurship and Bhutan’s culture and tradition.

Title : Reflections on Education and Enterprise in BhutanAbout this EventSpeaker: Tenzing YontenTenzing Yonten is the Co-Founder and first Director of the Royal Thimphu College. He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MBA from Yale University. He worked as a civil servant in the Ministry of Trade & Industries fro 14 years before he left in 2007 to start RTC. As a civil servant he worked first in the Department of Power and then the Bhutan Power Corporation. He has experience in a wide range of areas covering policy formulation, planning, project management, contracts, regulation and operations. He has also done some consulting work and interned at the World Bank in Washington DC.Host: Dr. Karma PhuntshoThe Founder and President of Loden Foundation, a development organization that promotes education, social entrepreneurship and Bhutan’s culture and tradition.

Bhutan through an Archaeology Lens Speaker : Kuenga Wangmo Kuenga Wangmo is Bhutan’s first archaeologist. She has worked on archaeological sites in Bhutan, India, and the United States. She was a member of a Policy Think Tank under His Majesty’s Secretariat and advises the Centre for Historical and Archaeological Studies at the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB). She sits on the Research and Innovation Committee of the RUB and is a member of the Board of Directors at VAST. Kuenga is a fellow at the Bhutan Ecological Society. She currently researches and teaches at the Centre for Himalayan Environment and Development Studies, SFS Bhutan. Kuenga was a post-doc research fellow at the Courtauld Institute of Art, UCL, in London. She is a National Geographic Explorer. She has an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and post-graduate degrees from Cambridge University and The Courtauld Institute of Art. Host : Mr. Gerald Daly Gerald Daly is the Resident Coordinator of the UN in Bhutan . Prior to his appointment as RC for Bhutan, he served as Policy Adviser and Team Leader of Programme, Joint Funding and Business Operations in the UN Development Group. His focus areas included ensuring cross-UN ownership and development of Delivering as One at both strategic and operational levels along with funding/implementation of integrated policy work.

Bhutan Dialogues 24:”Inclusivity and Loving Kindness: The Only Educational Technology to Drive the Engine of Human Wellbeing” Speaker: Lungtaen Gyatso Lungtaen Gyatso has an MA in Buddhist Studies and an MA in Sanskrit Literature. Currently he is serving as the President of the College of Language of Culture Studies, and he is also the Pro-Vice Chancellor, Research and Planning, Royal University of Bhutan. He is also Executive Faculty of the Royal Institute of Governance and Strategic Studies (RIGSS), Phuentsholing, and Associate Faculty of the Bhutan Institute of Wellbeing (BIW), Thimphu. He is an adjunct faculty of Kathmandu University since 2016. He sits on many decision-making boards and committees. He was a member of the National Constitution Drafting Committee. He has co-authored The Light of My Life, compiled the English-Dzongkha Dictionary, Dzongkha-English Dictionary, and has published several articles and book-chapters on philosophy, language, wellbeing and culture. He has also given keynote addresses in many international forums on ‘Wellbeing, Spirituality and Environmental Consciousness, Transformative Education’, and has given several lectures, and resourced many workshops on Culture, Tradition and Identity, Personal Transformation, Mindfulness and Universal Human Values in different countries. Guest Speaker: Lopen Karma Phunthso The Founder and President of Loden Foundation, a development organizationthat promotes education, social entrepreneurship and Bhutan’s culture and tradition as well as the Shejun Agency for Bhutan’s Cultural Documentation and Research.