Bhutan’s donors start another RTM

The 12th Round Table Meeting (RTM) of the Bhutanese donors and development partners have begun in the capital, Thimphu today (December 11).

Delegations and representatives from 60 organisations of Bhutan’s donor countries, INGOs, UN and other development partners are attending the conference.

The two-day meeting is scheduled to discuss and devise means and measures to enhance cooperation between the government and its development partners and to look at how aid can be used to meet the national goals and strengthen socio-economic development in Bhutan.

Thee meeting will primarily discuss challenges, priorities, macro-fiscal outlook and economic development roadmap for the 11th Five Year Plan.

A release from the Gross National Happiness Commission states that it will be an opportunity for the government to present the 11th Five Year Plan to ensure better alignment of development assistance with national priorities for improved aid-effectiveness.

The first RTM for Bhutan was held in the early 1980s. RTMs for Bhutan are held twice in the course of a five-year plan, at the beginning and in middle of the plan. The previous RTM was held in Thimphu in 2011.

The meeting is organised by the Royal Government of Bhutan in partnership with the United Nations and is being co-chaired by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lyonpo Rinzin Dorje and UN Assistant Secretary-General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director, Asia and the Pacific, Haoliang Xu.