UNDAF Outcome 5: By 2012, national capacity for environmental sustainability and disaster management strengthened. (MDG 7)

CT Outcome 1: National capacity to mainstream environmental concerns into policies, plans and programmes enhanced.

Strategy/Outputs: UNDP and UNEP will support advocacy for and development of national capacity to mainstream environmental concerns into national policies, plans and programmes. Environmental data and information management framework will be developed to support this. Efforts will include sensitizing Government sectors on environment mainstreaming concepts, as well as developing guidelines to enhance the mainstreaming capacity of key agencies such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Works and Human Settlement. Mainstreaming efforts will be scaled up into a poverty-environment initiative programme in collaboration with the Planning Commission and National Environment Commission (NEC). UNDP will partner with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to support capacity development for mainstreaming sustainable land management issues.

UNDP and GEF also will support a vulnerability needs assessment with regard to climate change and development of relevant mitigation and adaptation plans for national programmes. UNDP will help enhance capacity of key Government agencies such as NEC, the National Soil Services Centre and the National Biodiversity Centre to report on Multilateral Environment Agreements. UNESCO will provide technical assistance to the newly founded Bhutanese National Committee for International Hydrological Programme to review the water resource management.

CT Outcome 2: National capacity for Disaster Risk Management (DRM) strengthened.

Strategy/Outputs: The United Nations will continue to focus their efforts on enhancing national and community capacity to prevent, mitigate and cope with climate change/disasters through development of appropriate institutional processes and mechanisms to operationalize the National Disaster Risk Management Framework. Based on assessments carried out by ICIMOD and UNEP that identified critical glacial lakes posing a potential GLOF threats, UNDP and GEF in partnership with UNEP and ICIMOD will provide support to reducing Bhutan’s vulnerabilities to climate-induced disasters, particularly the threat of glacial lake outburst floods. UNDP and UNICEF will support capacity development in earthquake risk reduction and recovery preparedness for the focal agency (the Disaster Management Division) and other key agencies.

Support will be provided to formulate a National Disaster Risk Management Act as well as dzongkhag- and gewog-level Disaster Management Plans. Dzongkhag and gewog Disaster Management Committees will be established with United Nations support to ensure institutional coordination and enhance sub-national capacity to deal with disasters. UNV will support mobilization of community volunteers to enhance capacity of vulnerable communities in disaster preparedness and response systems to prevent, mitigate and cope with disasters and climate change.

CT Outcome 3: Access to sustainable energy and livelihoods for remote gewogs improved.

Strategy/Outputs: UNDP will partner with key Government agencies such as the Renewable Energy Division (RED), as well as with the private sector, to support communities in implementing renewable energy programmes and providing affordable renewable energy technology options for better livelihoods. Support to the operation of the Sengore community-based micro-hydro project will focus on exploring options for the productive use of energy to enhance livelihoods. Options to expand renewable energy to rural areas through accessing resources from initiatives on greenhouse gas mitigation and CDM will be explored.

CT Outcome 4: Conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems enhanced.

Strategy/Outputs: UNDP will support the Government in its efforts to conserve its rich biodiversity and ecosystems. Partnering with GEF, UNDP will support new protected areas management, and specifically, biological corridor management. Support to revising key policy and programming documents such as the Biodiversity Action Plan will be continued. UNDP and GEF support also will extend to the conservation of agro-biodiversity for on-farm conservation of crop and livestock diversity, as well as to the mainstreaming of agro-biodiversity into agriculture and livestock policy and practice.

To build awareness on environmental issues and galvanize civil society support and engagement, key NGOs such as the Royal Society of Protection of Nature (RSPN) will be supported. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of assessment and incorporation of environmental impacts on the poor (e.g., human-wildlife conservation) into environmental plans and programmes. UNESCO will help strengthen protected areas management through support to the development of a Bhutan National Committee for MAB and technical support in the development of a biosphere reserve.