But TCB should educate the rural people as they are the main stakeholders and encourage them to take it up as a business, he said. The heritage property should not normally be interfered with any extension, improvement, or renovation. Change in the existing structures should be in keeping with traditional architectural styles. After expansion/ renovation, the newly built area added should not exceed 50% of the total plinth area including the old and new structures. But facilities such as swimming pools and lawns will be excluded. Furniture and equipments should be kept in line with the historic character of the building.

These heritage home can be managed by the family of may be given out to professionals to manage. But, the government would encourage community participation and close involvement of the family by introducing guests to the living culture of that place. The accommodations should follow basic standards like public rooms, proper lighting, connectivity, service staff and cleanliness. The joint director said TCB will help interested parties to set up the facilities. “We have received one proposal and we have agreed to provide technical assistance,” he said.
Source: Business Bhutan.

Expressing concerns about climate change’s affect on 1.6 billion people of South Asia, the leaders also expressed determination to promote the use of green and low-carbon technology. The ‘Thimphu statement of climate change’ says SAARC member states face the dual challenge of addressing the negative impacts of climate change and pursuing socio-economic development. The leaders have, therefore, directed the SAARC secretary general to commission a study on ‘Climate risks in the regions: Ways to comprehensively address the related social, economic and environmental challenges’, to be presented at the next SAARC summit.

Prime Minister Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley, in his closing remarks, said that the ‘Thimphu statement on climate change’ will provide a strong impetus to collaborative efforts in addressing issues of climate change, at the national, regional and international levels. “Our deliberations of the past two days have been most instructive and productive,” he said. “We were able to have in-depth discussions on one of the most challenging issues of our times.” The secretary general was also directed to commission a study aimed at accreditation of SAARC with the Kyoto Protocol’s adaptation fund as a regional entity for undertaking adaptation projects in South Asia.

Member states agreed, according to the statement, to review the implementation of the Dhaka Declaration and SAARC action plan on climate change, to ensure timely implementation. Maldives’ proposal to host the 17th SAARC summit was also approved by the summit yesterday. President Mohamad Nahseed, as the leader to host the 2011 summit, said that “Bhutan has set the bar very high for the Maldives”.

Leaders agreed to commission a SAARC inter-governmental marine initiative to strengthen the understanding of shared oceans and water bodies in the region. They also stressed the importance of conservation of bio-diversity and natural resources and monitoring mountain ecology in the region. South Asian leaders, in the statement, decided to complete the ratification process for the SAARC convention on cooperation on environment as soon as possible. In the ‘joint declaration’, the leaders endorsed the recommendation to declare 2010-2020 as the decade of intra-regional connectivity in SAARC and agreed to expedite negotiations with a view to finalise agreements on motor vehicles and railways.

“The declaration and the climate change statement has prescribed a lot of work for the members with a limited timeline,” said SAARC secretary general, Dr Sheel Kant Sharma, at a press conference in Thimphu. The leaders also noted in the joint declaration that the government of Maldives would nominate a woman secretary general as the 10th secretary general of SAARC, as an initiative to promote women’s empowerment and gender equality in the region.

Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley at the concluding session said that one of the most significant achievements of this summit was the decision to develop a “vision statement” by a “south Asian forum”. “It is a matter of satisfaction that the forum will consist of eminent personalities from diverse backgrounds from our region and beyond. The forum will provide a platform to debate, discuss and exchange ideas on South Asia and its future,” Lyonchhoen said. Another milestone achieved by the summit is operationalisation of the South Asian university in New Delhi, Lyonchhoen said. “The university, when it opens in August, is destined to become the centre of excellence for higher learning in South Asia and it is here that we also expect the establishment of a low carbon research institute,” he said.
By Phuntsho Choden, Kuensel.

It came out with the Thimphu Statement on Climate Change which is expected to provide a strong impetus to the SAARC efforts to address issues relating to Climate Change. The SAARC Foreign Ministers signed two instruments, the Convention on Cooperation on Environment and the Agreement on Trade in Services. The agreement on trade in service will help boost trade and promote people to people contact. The agreement on environment will help address issues related to climate change. It will also enable SAARC to have a common voice in climate change negotiations in national, regional and international level.

The SAARC Development Fund has become operational and its First Chief Executive Officer appointed. It will finance regional and sub-regional socio-economic development programmes and projects. The South Asian University in New Delhi has also become operational. The university will open in August and will become the Centre of Excellence for Higher Learning in South Asia. The Prime Minister also thanked the delegates for allowing Bhutan to introduce the concept of Gross National Happiness. An inter-governmental workshop will be organised later this year to look at the relevance of this concept in our region.

The President of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed said that there are sufficient ingredients to achieve the SAARC objectives. There was a sense of togetherness and commitment from the countries to achieve the common goal. However he said there are also challenges that need to be overcome. The next SAARC summit will be held in the Maldives.
Source: BBS, Bhutan.

The UNICEF Bhutan representative, Dr Gepke Hingst, said that UNICEF will collaborate with the ministries of home and cultural affairs, education, and health to carry out the activities. “Thank you, Australia, for your wonderful gift to provide water, toilets and hygiene to the school children – a powerful combination when it comes to health and learning for the future citizens of Bhutan,” she said. Dr Hingst also congratulated the government for its commitment to rehabilitate the lives of the people affected by the disaster with a vision of ‘building back better’’.

Australia also provided AUD 500,000 (approximately Nu 20M) to the world food program’s school feeding programme in 2009. “This programme encourages poor households to send their children, especially girls, to school. It provides at least one nutritious meal in a day, and can help boost enrolment and promote regular attendance, giving children an education and a future,” Bob McMullan said.

He also congratulated Bhutan for being, amongst the developing countries, most clearly in track towards achieving the millennium development goals, especially in the area of education. “In my discussions with senior members of the royal government of Bhutan, I was very pleased to hear of the important contribution that Australian scholarships have made over 40 years in developing the skills and capacity of the Bhutanese people,” he said.

In 2009-2010, Australia provided two additional scholarships to study at Australian universities, bringing the total number of Australia awards scholarships for Bhutan to more than 40 annually. Australia is also funding the Queensland university of technology and the ministry of labour and human resources to strengthen technical and vocational education in Bhutan. Bob McMullan is in Bhutan to represent Australia as the head of the Australian observer delegation at the SAARC summit.
Source: Kuensel. By Dipika Chhetri

The next global climate talks after Copenhagen in September last are likely to be held in Cancun in Mexico in December. The Thimpu summit marks the silver jubilee celebration of SAARC that was formed in Bangladesh in December 1985 with the aim of eradicating poverty and improving the living standard of 1.5 billion people of the region through mutual cooperation. Foreign Minister S M Krishna hoped that the dialogue on climate change would be carried in a “meaningful manner” at the summit.

Lyonchhen Jigmi Y. Thinley thanked the president who is also the current chairman of SAARC for accepting Bhutan’s invitation to participate in the summit. While extending his appreciation for the manner in which President Mahinda Rajapaksa had successfully steered SAARC during his tenure as its chairman for the last one and a half years, the Prime Minister also congratulated the President and his party for their victory in the last general elections.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa said it was most befitting and auspicious that the 16th summit falling on the Silver Jubilee year of SAARC was being hosted by Bhutan, the land of Gross National Happiness.  The President also pointed out that the climate change theme chosen for the summit was timely, relevant and significant not just for the region but the whole world.

Source: BBS, Bhutan.

Phala Dorji said that they (coordinators) had been explaining to journalists about the logistics and requested the media to send only one journalist from each media agency during the opening and closing of the summit. Of the 106 seats, there is a plan to reserve about 20 seats for the south Asia freedom of media association (SAFMA) journalists and another 20 to 25 for media coming on their own. Those coming as part of official delegations will also be allotted seats. Photographers and cameramen will be allowed at the grand national assembly hall when their leader addresses the summit, according to officials.  The SAFMA journalist summit was also shifted to Paro, 52 km from Thimphu, as there were not enough hotel rooms to accommodate about 100 journalists from the region attending the summit. About 74 journalists, including photographers and cameramen, will be arriving with the SAARC delegates. Pakistan is fielding the biggest contingent, with 31 journalists confirmed as of yesterday. “The list could grow,” said Phala Dorji. India has the largest contingent of journalists coming on their own, with 43 journalists already listed to come to the country. About 60 journalists from the observer countries will also be in the capital during the summit week. Ministry officials said that the media centre set up at the information and communication office would provide video footage and photos, while the national television, BBSC, would cover the event live. BBSC will also provide clean feed of the summit, without commentary, free of cost. BBSC will also have an arrangement of uplinking facilities at the media centre, which would enable other broadcasters to uplink their news feed directly. What could come as a relief to coordinators is that a number of journalists are coming in to cover other things than the SAARC summit itself. Most of the journalists from India and Pakistan are more interested in where their leaders will meet on the sidelines of the summit. Recent media reports in both countries have been rife with speculations of the Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, and the Pakistan prime minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, meeting in Thimphu. “There are so many things to write about here in your country. SAARC is important but there is GNH, democracy, the people, all of Bhutan we can write about,” said a foreign journalist, who is already in the country and reporting about being in Bhutan.

Source: Kuensel,By Ugyen Penjore

During the two-day summit, participants will discuss the “looming” threat of climate change for the SAARC countries, and a leading glaciologist in India, professor Syed Iqbal Hasnain, will deliver the keynote address on ‘Melting Glaciers and the Future of South Asia’ tomorrow. The government chartered a special flight from the Indian city of Kolkata to Paro today to bring in about 20 participants. For smooth immigration process and to guide the delegates in and around Thimphu, the government has appointed five liaison officers from information and communications ministry, who are being assisted by six volunteers.

About 22 participants from Nepal and Sri Lanka had arrived on April 25, and were taken to for a quick tour of Thimphu and Dochula pass. A few participants are still taking time to acclimatise to Paro’s altitude of more than 7,000 feet and the winding roads. The usually strong winds and late evening showers in the past two days have also ushered in a bit of chill. A medical team is on standby for all participants.

The summit will have several break-out groups to discuss the formation of south Asian women in media forum and the south Asian media commission. The journalists’ summit ends on April 27 and most of the participants will join the SAARC media delegation to attend the SAARC summit in Thimphu on April 28 -29.
Source: Kuensel, By Sonam Pelden & Phuntsho Choden

The volcano that had been dormant for nearly two centuries erupted on April 14, filling the European airspace with ash, which flight safety experts said could severely damage jet engines. The cancelled trips of the 82 tourists are from April 18 until May 6, with stays in Bhutan ranging from five to 15 days. “The payment of all these 82 tourists have been made,” said TCB’s visa officer Sangay Lhaden. “Right now, the whole amount of USD 180 per tourist is with us and we’ll be refunding their payments.”

The months of March, April and May bring in more than 6,000 tourists into the country every year. Last year, 8,190 tourists flew into Bhutan in these three months. One of the tour operators, Needup Wangdi of All Bhutan Connection, said that 19 tourists, 17 from Poland and two from Germany, who were scheduled to arrive for their six-day trip to Bhutan, cancelled their trip on April 19. “Their flights were cancelled when they were about to fly to Delhi,” Needup Wangdi said. “We’ve spent USD 9,758 alone on tickets and we’re not sure if it would be refunded.”

Of the USD 200 daily tariff, 10 percent is usually paid as commission to the overseas agent. Sangay Lhaden, however, said that some tourists might want to visit later. Druk executive travel’s owner, Kinley Namgay, said that 13 tourists from Netherlands had cancelled their trip on April 17. “We’ve spent about USD 22,000 including the airfares,” Kinley Namgay said.

He said the Drukair tickets for this group were bought through block purchase, which has a very rigid booking and cancellation policy with no refunds. “We’ve requested Drukair, but they’ve indicated that they’ll go as per the policy,” Kinley Namgay said, adding that payment for hotel bookings, transportation and guides also have to be taken care of.

Some of the travel agents, whose tourists have cancelled their trip to Bhutan, are Snow White tours with 16 cancellations, Rainbow tours and treks had seven and Luxury division and Bhutan Dorji Holidays with six each. According to royal monetary authority’s 2008-2009 annual report, Europeans and North Americans largely dominate Bhutan’s tourism market. The two blocs accounted for 71 percent of all visitors to Bhutan in 2008. With almost 75 percent of flight to and from Europe resuming yesterday, Bhutanese tour operators are hoping that there will fewer cancellations in the coming days. Iceland, located in the North Atlantic Ocean, is famous for its hot springs, geysers and active volcanoes.
Source: Kuensel By Sonam Pelden