The Bhutanese Leading the way.
For the 31 UN agencies that work in Bhutan, found 2020 a challenging year but they made various achievements under different UN agencies at the same time.
UN has launched 2020 Annual Results Report highlighting the challenges faced, lesson learnt and achievements made in 2020.
Gerald Daly Resident Coordinator, UN Bhutan said that in 2020, the UN designed and implemented projects to support vulnerable women and youth after increasing evidence emerged of their situation in the wake of the pandemic.
The UNCT’s support to People with Disabilities was also the result of agile programming during the pandemic, delivering support within a month of receiving requests.
The report states that the UNCT is committed to the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Partnership Framework (UNSDPF) 2019–2023 in four strategic outcome areas. It is to enhance access to and use of reliable and timely data for inclusive and evidence-based policy and decision making, to have an access to quality health, nutrition, protection, education, water, sanitation, and hygiene services for vulnerable and unreached people, strengthened national stakeholders to provide equal opportunities for all, particularly women and vulnerable groups.
During the time of pandemic, timely delivery of critical medical supplies including vaccines was a challenge due to the interruption of international flights. However, despite these challenges vaccines were procured on time and the country maintaining a six month stock of reserves.
Projects funded through global programmes such as the UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, were difficult to modify to the ever-evolving COVID-19 situation and by the very nature of global programmes, the process of repurposing funds for a COVID-19 response proved to be long and cumbersome, added the report.
The ‘UN Bhutan COVID-19 Socio-Economic Response Plan’ includes short-term measures to mitigate negative health, social and economic consequences along with medium to long-term investments to strengthen the capacity of the country to build forward better and ensure our resilience to future crises.
Implementation of the CSO Engagement Framework was hampered due to COVID-19.
Largely because of restrictions posed by COVID-19, the planned pilot for the use of social accountability tools in local governments was put on hold.
The UN and the Royal Government partnered to launch the Joint SDG Fund Programme.
