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Restricting Illicit Use and Sale of Harmful Drugs- Advice; Experiences. Reply by 23 July 2010.
Dear SE Members, The problems related to drug abuse and illegal sale of harmful drugs has caught the attention of the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB). In view of this, the RGoB enacted Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Substance Abuse (NDPSSA) Act in 2005 (http://www.bnca.gov.bt/themes/acquia_marina/DownloadsBNCA/ndpssaa_bilin.pdf) (PDF, Size: 1 MB) and commissioned the Narcotic Control Board and established Bhutan Narcotic Control Agency (BNCA) in 2006. Subsequently, Narcotic Drug..
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Strengthening Civil Society Organizations in Bhutan- Advice; Experiences. Reply by 16 July 2010
Dear SE members,A vibrant Civil Society is one of the indicators of a progressive society. This is a well established fact and there is no debate about that. Bhutan as a country had several traditional forms of civil society fulfilling similar roles. With so called modernization, the State ended up taking on the bulk of the tasks from planning to seeking funds to implementation of activities. The role of the traditional “wise men” diminished in importance significantly. People began to depend..
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Enhancing Women's Participation in Elections - Advice; Experiences. Reply by 14 June 2010
Dear SE Members,Despite efforts made by the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) to promote equal representation of women and men in public decision-making, women’s participation in governance, particularly at the local level is relatively poor. To address the gender gap in governance, the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) is undertaking a study to enhance the participation of women in elections.As part of this objective, we are currently formulating a Strategic Plan for the ECB to enhance..
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Introducing Public Spaces to Stimulate Democratic Discourse - Advice; Experiences. Reply by 9 June 2010
Dear members,Throughout history the physical and social dynamics of public spaces have played a central role in the formation of democratic cultures. Bhutan’s democratic governance rests on the capacity of, and opportunity for, citizens to engage in discussion and debate. While we have learnt how to vote, we are constantly being reminded that a culture of democracy is still being developed. How prepared are we, in such a stage of transition, to partake in the responsibilities of being citizens..
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Developing a Training Module on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change-Advice;Experiences.Urgent
Open till 3 May 2010
Dear members,Implementing climate risk reduction and preparedness measures in selected communities is one of the key result areas under Regional Climate Risk Reduction Project. To facilitate this, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Bhutan is working closely with the Department of Disaster Management, Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs (MoHCA). We are also liaising with different agencies and NGOs who have substantial experience in land resource management and sustainable..
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Generating a Rural Development Policy for Bhutan-Advice;Experiences.
Open till 20 April 2010
Dear members,Today, Bhutan’s poverty rate is 23.2%, with forty-nine out of fifty of these poverty stricken persons living in rural areas (Poverty Analysis Report 2007 (PAR)), indicating poverty is largely a rural phenomenon in Bhutan.The main challenges faced by the poor living in the Dzongkhags are small land holdings, ill health and low education levels, reliance on subsistence agriculture, food insecurity, scattered settlements, lack of communication facilities, labour shortages and..
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Compiling a Database of Agencies/Organizations Working on Drug Abuse - Referrals.
Open till 13 April 2010
Dear members,I am working as a consultant on behalf of the United Nations Office of Drug and Crime (UNODC) and presently placed in Bhutan (stationed in Thimphu) to assist the Bhutan Narcotic Control Agency (BNCA), Royal Government of Bhutan in developing policies, guidelines and modules for scientific interventions to reduce drug use and its consequences in Bhutan.As most of you are aware, drug use has its origin in the various socio-cultural contexts and the effects go far beyond the..
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Shortening the Turnaround Time in G2C Service Delivery - Advice;Experiences.
Open till 16 March 2010
Dear members, I am working in the Prime Minister’s Office on a government initiative to improve Government to Citizen (G2C) services by increasing the ease of access and quality of service. The Ministry of Finance with Tax, Ministry of Economic Affairs with licensing, Ministry of Communications with vehicles and atomization, Ministry of Agriculture with forestry services, Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs with census and security related issues have already embarked on this road. Despite..
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Role of Media in Disseminating Information on Climate Change - Advice;Experiences.
Open till 15 February 2010
Dear SE members, I am a member of the media, interested in reporting on issues related to climate change, thus I share this query for suggestions on how to enhance the role of media in addressing climate change. I believe that how we deal with the threat of climate change depends largely on how we understand the issue of it.The year 2009 perhaps will be remembered as the ‘Climate year’, and this is no accident. There has been an active media campaign in order to raise public awareness and..
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Using Effective and Positive Discipline Practices for Children in Schools and Homes -Advice; Experiences.
Open till 18 January 2010
Dear members,By definition, corporal punishment involves inflicting physical pain, often on children in the form of smacking or canning them. In severe cases, children can be left with physical or mental handicaps. Corporal punishment has been prevalent in Bhutan; and in recent years the use of corporal punishment has developed into a major debate among teachers, parents, students, and the community at large. Its use has now been banned in Bhutan schools due the detrimental physical and..
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Overcoming Accessibility Issues for Physically Challenged Children and Adults-Advice; Experiences.
Open till 22 December 2009
Dear Members,This year’s theme for the “International Day of Persons with Disabilities” held annually on 3 December, centered on “An Exhibition of Abilities” whereby physically challenged children of Bhutan displayed a wide range of carvings, knitting, embroidery and art work. This day no doubt ended as a source of encouragement and inspiration for those with special needs. (For more information click here http://kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=14130). However,..
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Innovation on Subsidies to Farmers - Advice; Experiences. Open till 7 December 2009.
Dear members,Bhutan is predominantly an agrarian economy with more than 79 percent of the population deriving their livelihood from subsistence agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture has provided different forms of subsidy to farmers, such as subsidies on fertilizers and pesticides, agricultural machineries, livestock inputs, free veterinary medicines and vaccines as well as subsidies on agriculture seeds and seedlings, fodder and pasture seeds. These subsidies have enhanced domestic..
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Strengthening Disaster Response during Emergencies - Advice. Open till 15 November 2009.
Dear All, The 21st September earthquake that struck eastern Bhutan claimed 12 lives with about 37 people injured. In addition, the earthquake has affected more than 4,595 homes, 6 Dzongs, 485 Chortens, 284 monasteries, 116 schools, 25 health centers and hospitals and 43 government offices in the 12 affected districts. While the exact extent of damages is yet to be known, it is clear from various reports that the losses are significant and it will be sometime before things come back to normal...
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Promoting the Adoption of Occupational Health and Safety - Experiences. Open till 25 September 2009.
Dear all,The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is recognized as an important disciplinary area across the globe as it deals with the safety of employees, which is a growing concern for every country to ensure the safety and welfare of its employees.Keeping this in mind the government of Bhutan has put every effort to improve the working environment in companies. The Ministry of Labour and Human Resources (MoLHR) introduced the Rules and Regulations on OHS, 2006. Strengthening this, Chapter..
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Grappling with Youth Unemployment - Advice. Open till 26 August 2009.
The International Youth Day today has left us with many youth related issues yet to be answered. In 2007, youth comprised 25 per cent of the world’s working age population and accounted for 40 per cent of the unemployed. The global economic downturn means that, in the near term, youth unemployment will continue to climb. Unemployment rates tell only part of the story, especially for the vast majority of youth who live in developing countries. For them, informal, insecure and low-wage..
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Creating Business Opportunities for the Poor - Advice and examples. Open till 14 August 2009.
Private sector has great untapped resources for investment and innovation to achieve the MDGs. Hence in 2006 UNDP launched “The Growing Inclusive Markets Initiative “ to better understand how private sector can contribute to human development and to the MDGs. The initiative’s broad aims are: • Raising awareness by demonstrating how doing business with the poor can be good for people and good for business• Clarifying the ways that business, governments and civil society..
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Alternatives to Plastic Bags - Advice and Experience. Open till 17 July 2009.
Dear all, The main focus of the “Clean Bhutan Initiative” spearheaded by Royal Society for Protection of Nature, and receiving support from various ministries, departments, Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and individual, is to collectively work on trying to solve the problem of WASTE. In 2007, an estimated 43, 697 tons of Municipal Solid Waste was generated within the urban areas in Bhutan, and 12.73% of the waste comprised of plastics. Bhutan had implemented a ban on plastic bags in 1999..
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Enhancing professionalism in news media - Advice and Experience. Open till 17 July 2009.
Dear all, The Bhutanese media has seen rapid growth during the past few years. A hugely discussed topic has been on the role of media, in this rapidly changing society. Keeping this in mind, media practitioners and others question one of the main challenges that the media faces, i.e. professionalism in the field. Media personnel have come under criticism for factual errors, misquotes, biases and sensationalism. With most journalists being young and inexperienced, many people feel that a..
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Integrity and Ethics education in Schools - Advice and Experiences. Open till 15 June
Dear Friends,According to the Anti-Corruption Commission’s (ACC) corruption perception study 2009 (draft) http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.bt/Docs/res02060902.doc (344 KB) one cause of corruption in Bhutan is poor moral values and integrity. Integrity is a stepping stone to the advancement of any country. It is in fact a characteristic of an advanced country. Therefore building a nation-wide integrity system is critical for the progress of the nation and the road to achieving Gross National..
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Encouraging Amla Value Chain Development- Advice; Examples. Open till 29 May 2009
Dear all,SNV Bhutan in collaboration with the regional Trade and Industry Office (RTIO), Regional Agriculture Marketing Services (RAMS) and RNR-RC Whengkhar has been working on the development of the amla (Phyllanthus emblica or skyu-ru in Bhutanese) value chain in Mongar. A market survey showed that amla is found in nine of the 14 geogs in the Dzongkhag and the approximated total resource potential of amla from Mongar is up to 14,170 kg. According to the same survey, amla markets within the..
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Penalty for Sexual Assault-Offenders? Open till 4 May
Dear all, The crime rates have increased rather alarmingly over the years especially sexual assault of the minors. Between 2005 and 2008, more than 84 cases of sexual assaults were reported across the kingdom, of which 71 were forwarded to court. Nine were on statutory rapes and 11 victims were minors above the age of 12. No one knows how many go unreported. There are increasing views that the penalty may not be strong enough to deter criminals from such acts. Under section 181 and 182 of the..
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Developing Framework for E-Governance- Experiences. Open till 2 April 2009
Dear all,Recognizing 'Information and Communication Technology' (ICT), as one of the= most important tool to achieve Bhutan's development objectives, Ministry o=f Information and Communications was formed in July 2003. To enable Bhutan =to fully harness the benefits of ICT for development, one of the major acti=vities of the Ministry of Information and Communication is to develop and p=romote 'e-governance' to enhance the efficiency of the Government and impro=ve people's access to key..
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Youth Sensitization on Unemployment Related Issues - Advice; Referrals. Open till 17 March 2009
Dear All, Youth unemployment is one of the major concerns that Bhutan is grappling with today. The youth unemployment rate has quadrupled from 2.2 percent in 1998 to 9.9 percent in 2007. For the youths, reality of unemployment is very boring, frustrating, and a waste of potential often leading to engagements in unwanted behaviour. In this regard, it is very important to help youths to deal with issues related to unemployment. While “youth-police partnership” by the Royal Bhutan Police is..
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Exploring markets for Medicinal Plants. Advice. Open till 18 February.
Dear members, The management of Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) based in Trashi Yangtshe, eastern Bhutan is in the process of implementing a community-based medicinal plant project under the GEF-SGP (UNDP) funding. The main aim of the project is conservation of biodiversity through sustainable community-based medicinal plant cultivation and marketing thereby improving the livelihoods of 36 local residents living within the BWS. There are two project sites, one located at Shingphel (North of..
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Early Learning Programs for Community-Experience;Advice. Open till 20 January.
Dear all, Bhutan's basic education completion rate stands at 54% as per Ministry ofEducation's statistics 2008. Its ratification to CRC (Convention on theRight of the Child) and commitment to Basic Education For All (EFA) by 2015implies that we work harder to make completion of Basic Education happen forevery single child. Quality early learning can address any learning gap thatexists in school (including reduction in the dropout rate, which iscurrently the highest - 7.6% - in class nine in..
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Counseling and Confidentiality in HIV. Advice. Open till 31 December
Dear All, I am working with the Ministry of Health in the National STIs and HIV/AIDS Prevention & Control Programme under Department of Public Health. The National Strategic Plan (NSP) for the Prevention and Control of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and HIV, http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.bt/docs/res22120801.doc (739 KB) addresses the realities of dealing with the epidemic of HIV and other STIs in Bhutan. An important effort of the NSP is to create a supportive environment that..
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GLOF Risk Reduction-Role of Community and Early Warning Systems. Reply by 14 December 2008
Dear Colleagues, It is well known that traditional approaches towards Glacial Lake Outburst Flooding (GLOF) risk mitigation have largely been structural or engineered. These primarily involve siphoning out water from hazardous glacial lakes, using GIS or Remote Sensing tools to develop an inventory of glacial lakes and deploying satellite-based observation systems to monitor the formation, expansion and nature of glacial lakes. These approaches are by themselves beset with formidable..
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E-Discussion - GLOF Risk Mitigation -Key Issues, Challenges and Approaches. Open till 14 November 2008
Dear Members,UNDP's Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) in partnership with the European Commission Humanitarian Organisation (ECHO), is presently undertaking a Regional Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) risk reduction initiative in India, Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan. The project aims to identify and formulate community-based GLOF risk mitigation and preparedness approaches. At present, there is an inadequate understanding of the nature of GLOFs, their physical dimensions and..
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Cultural Dilution- Role of Media, CSOs and Government - Advice;Open till 3 November October 2008
Dear all, Cultural preservation is an important component of Gross National Happiness with measure in place to preserve the culture, e.g. the tourism policy is designed to preserve cultural integrity. However, rapid development is introducing an avalanche of commercial themes making profound behavioral changes. There is a growing danger to the integrity our cultural icons. This is already slowly manifesting here with hotels using religious icons and ritualistic accompaniments as bathroom door..
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Financial Services for rural communities-Experiences; Advice.Open till 10 October 2008
Dear all, I have been asked by a colleague who works in the financial sector to post this query on his behalf: It is proven fact that the rural credit increases the income of the rural household by augmenting the endowments and the capacity to diversify their livelihood. However, in several countries the rural credit program has increased the debt burden and it has become suicidal. In Bhutan too, there is a general feeling that the rural households with low asset endowments do not have..
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Holistic Approach to Gender Based Violence - Experience; Advice. Open till 12 September 2008
Dear all, Respect, Educate, Nurture and Empower Women (RENEW) established in 2004 works towards promoting gender equality, and provides services and opportunities to transform the lives of victims of gender based violence (GBV). The number of reported cases of GBV is increasing in Bhutan. While a lot of work and effort has gone into education and awareness on the issue through the works of agencies such as RENEW and National Commission on Women and Children (NCWC), it still remains a challenge..
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Intellectual Property Rights and the Copyright Law in Bhutan - Advices. Open till 22 August 2008
Dear all,I have been working with the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs (MOHCA) in the Information and Communication Unit for over a year and a half. During my tenure, I was concerned about the liberal usage of pirated software. As you may be aware, most of the proprietary software products come under strict copyright rules, and hence this practice is illegal. I conducted a preliminary research on the scenario prevailing in Bhutan and observed the following:•Bhutan passed its Copyright Law..
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Methods for Integrating Planning, Implementation and Monitoring at the geog and dzongkhag level - Experiences and Advice. Open till 15 August 2008
Dear all,Bhutan’s development approach is people centered development with Gross National Happiness (GNH) playing a vital role. One of the key strategies to operationalize the approach of GNH into a result-based and people-centered approach is to devolve development activities including designing, planning, monitoring and evaluation, and budgeting at the geog (block) and district level. However, the main issue at the geog level is the lack of technical and human capacity to participate..
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