Posted on July, 31 2018

31 July 2018:  The Prime Minister of Bhutan Dasho Tshering Tobgay and Minister for Agriculture and Forests Yeshey Dorji opened the secretariat office for the Bhutan for Life project at the WWF Bhutan office today. 

The opening was a symbolic inauguration to celebrate the opening of the secretariat office which will manage the BFL fund – a USD $43 million fund that will permanently manage Bhutan’s network protected areas. 

His Excellency Dasho Tshering Tobgay awarded certificates of recognition to representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gross National Happiness Commission, Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation, Prime Minister’s Office, and WWF Bhutan for their contributions to the BFL project.  
Agriculture and Forests Minister Yeshey Dorji said, “The successful launch of Bhutan for Life can be attributed to the outstanding dedication of the project team members, the remarkable leadership of Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, and the inspiration of our monarchs, which was the guiding force that motivated our collective commitment to preserve Bhutan’s conservation legacy for perpetuity”. 
Bhutan for life was launched on November 11, 2017. It is a USD $43 million fund—the first of its kind in Asia—to permanently protect Bhutan’s network of protected areas, which constitute 51 percent of the country, the highest percentage of land designated as protected in Asia. This funding will be combined with USD $75 million from the Royal Government of Bhutan, which will be contributed over a 14-year period, to properly manage Bhutan’s protected areas. 
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For more information, please contact: 
Sonam Yangchen
Communications Officer
WWF Bhutan Program
Email:syangchen@wwfbhutan.org.bt