As the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN) celebrates 39 years of its conservation journey, it marks a defining moment in its history being accredited as the 39th National Implementing Entity (NIE) by the Adaptation Fund.

Adaptation Fund has officially accredited RSPN as its 39th National Implementing Entity (NIE)  under the Direct Access modality. This landmark recognition strengthens Bhutan’s capacity to directly access and manage international climate finance, further empowering locally led climate adaptation and resilience efforts across the country.The milestone represents a defining moment for Bhutan, opening new pathways to scale up community-driven climate solutions and resilience-building initiatives nationwide.

With this achievement, Bhutan makes history as the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to have two accredited NIEs, alongside the Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation (BTFEC). Bhutan also becomes the third country globally after Kenya and Senegal to have two NIEs accredited under the Adaptation Fund framework. This milestone injects renewed momentum into Bhutan’s climate action journey, significantly strengthening national systems to design and deliver impactful adaptation projects in response to emerging and escalating climate risks. The achievement is the result of strong collaboration between RSPN, the Adaptation Fund, and the Royal Government of Bhutan, supported by the dedicated efforts of the RSPN team and partners working at the forefront of conservation and climate resilience.

“This accreditation marks an important step in advancing Bhutan’s climate resilience and national priorities,” said Mr.Wangchuk Namgay, Director, Department of Program Coordination and Climate Change at RSPN. “This achievement reflects the dedication of our team and the strong support of the AF and the Royal Government of Bhutan. We are committed to delivering impactful, community-driven adaptation solutions.”

“This milestone reflects the strength of the direct access approach and the role of strong national institutions in leading climate action,” said Mikko Ollikainen, Head of the Adaptation Fund. “Having two NIEs in Bhutan further strengthens their national capacity in adaptation. RSPN’s commitment throughout a rigorous accreditation process shows true country ownership, and we are pleased to welcome them to the Adaptation Fund community. We are also pleased to see new NIEs accessing resources through the Fund’s streamlined accreditation process, which creates important opportunities for smaller states that may otherwise face barriers to accessing climate finance.” Source- Adaptation Fund’s website

RSPN extends its sincere gratitude to the Adaptation Fund for its trust, guidance, and partnership. This recognition further strengthens Bhutan’s commitment to advancing locally led, community-driven climate adaptation and enhancing resilience on the ground. Looking ahead, RSPN remains committed to working closely with partners to translate climate finance into meaningful impact for ecosystems and communities, ensuring long-term benefits for future generations.

RSPN also expresses its sincere appreciation to the Designated Authority, Ministry of Finance, Royal Government of Bhutan, for its continued guidance and support throughout the accreditation process.

Click here to read the official announcement from the Adaptation Fund- https://sl1nk.com/mzxfh3a

The Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN), as the delivery partner for the Green Climate Fund, successfully conducted a two-day Capacity Development and Sensitization Program on 29–30 December 2025.

Under the GCF Readiness and Preparatory Program, RSPN has been strengthening institutional systems and supporting Direct Access Applicants through training, capacity development, and improved frameworks. To address critical gaps, RSPN also developed new policies and internal control frameworks to address critical gaps and enhance overall organizational readiness.

The two-day program featured interactive sessions aimed at strengthening institutional capacity, improving governance systems, and raising awareness of GCF processes. This initiative underscores RSPN’s commitment to empowering national stakeholders and facilitating effective access to climate finance.

The Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN), in collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), organized a three-day workshop on the Harmonization of Climate and Environmental Laws from September 24–26 in Paro.

This workshop brought together national stakeholders and international legal and environmental consultants to explore the integration of global best practices into Bhutan’s legislative framework. The sessions focused on aligning domestic climate and environmental laws with international standards, enhancing legal coherence, and strengthening institutional capacity to address emerging environmental challenges.

Participants engaged in expert-led discussions, case studies, and collaborative exercises aimed at fostering a unified and forward-looking approach to environmental governance.

This workshop is part of ongoing project ‘𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗵𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲-𝘂𝗽 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀’ funded by Green Climate Fund.

The three-day workshop brings together a diverse group of participants, including representatives from local government, Department of Local Governance and Disaster Management, and Civil Society Organizations and Agencies (Tarayana Foundation, The Bhutan Youth Development Fund, Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy) and Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law. This workshop is part of ongoing project ‘𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗵𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲-𝘂𝗽 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀’ funded by Green Climate Fund.

This session focused on understanding #ClimateChange – its causes, impacts, and the actions we can take. The discussion emphasized that climate change is not a distant issue but is already influencing our lifestyles, ecosystems, and way the planet Earth functions.

Through an interactive group activity, participants traced the journey of everyday utilities to see how they are produced, what materials are used, what wastes are created, and the consequences it brings to impact the climate. This exercise sparked engaging conversations, allowing participants to see the hidden connections between human activities, resource use, waste generation, and the climate system. It highlighted how small, everyday actions are link to broader environmental impacts and how collective awareness can drive more sustainable choices and positive behavioural changes.

The session also highlighted our local action connectivity to the global effort to combat climate issues. As an important means, emphasis were made to take steps from documentating phenophases, observing the life-cycle events in plants and animals to adopting some of Sustainable Development Goals that can contribute in building climate science and actions, the reality event to proof climate change is real, and there is urgency to take climate actions.

The Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN), in its role as the Delivery Partner to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), has taken a major step forward in advancing Climate Finance Readiness in Bhutan. On July 30th,2025 RSPN signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with four esteemed national institutions and they are Bhutan Youth Development Fund (YDF), Tarayana Foundation, Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law, and SELWA as part of the ongoing implementation of the GCF Readiness Project.

This strategic collaboration falls under Output 2 of the Readiness project, which focuses on “Relevant stakeholders engaged and trained to support planning, programming, and implementation of GCF-funded activities.” Through this partnership, the project aims to build institutional capacity and strengthen Bhutan’s ability to access and effectively utilize climate finance.

The collaboration will focus on three key areas:

• Enhancing stakeholder awareness and coordination on climate finance and GCF processes
• Strengthening legal and governance frameworks to support national climate resilience
• Empowering grassroots and youth engagement in climate action through education and community mobilization 

The MoU signing ceremony represents a critical milestone in Bhutan’s efforts to build a more inclusive and sustainable climate response. By bringing together diverse actors from civil society, legal institutions, and youth organizations, the project ensures that climate action in Bhutan is both equitable and impactful.

“This partnership reflects our shared commitment to enhancing Bhutan’s climate readiness,” said the RSPN focal person. “Together, we are paving the way for informed, inclusive, and transformative climate solutions.”

The Green Climate Fund’s Readiness Programme is designed to enhance the capacity of countries like Bhutan to engage with the GCF and implement Climate-resilient initiatives. Today’s MoU reaffirms Bhutan’s vision of a greener future rooted in collaboration across policy, community, and education sectors.

The Royal Society for Protection of Nature ( RSPN) acting as the Delivery Partner for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness Programme, successfully convened a workshop to finalize the Gap Assessment Report aimed at enhancing Bhutan’s capacity to plan, program, and implement GCF-funded climate initiatives.

The workshop brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including Government Agencies, Executing Entities,and Civil Society Organizations representatives. The participants reviewed and validated findings from the Gap Assessment, which identifies critical areas for strengthening institutional systems, technical expertise, and collaborative networks.

This initiative aligns with one of the key outputs of the GCF Readiness Fund: ensuring that relevant country stakeholders have the capacity and systems in place to effectively support climate-resilient development. The finalized report will serve as a strategic roadmap for future capacity-building efforts and targeted interventions under GCF programming.

The Second PSC Meeting for the GCF Readiness and Preparatory Support Program was successfully held at the White-bellied Heron Conservation Centre, Changchey, Tsirang Dzongkhag. The meeting saw participation from a diverse group of stakeholders, including members from the The Bhutan Youth Development Fund, Tarayana Foundation, Ministry of Finance, Royal Government of Bhutan and #SELWA.

During the meeting, the committee reviewed the progress of the ongoing projects under the GCF Readiness and Preparatory Support Program. This included a comprehensive assessment of the achievements, challenges, and any deviations from the planned activities.

A significant portion of the discussions focused on on strengthening institutional capacities, governance mechanisms, and planning frameworks to support long-term climate action. The members also reviewed the financial status of the projects, including budget allocations, expenditures, and any financial challenges faced during the implementation.

The meeting underscored the importance of continued collaboration and effective management to achieve the project’s goals.

The Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN) as a Delivery Partner to the Green Climate Fund(GCF) is implementing the Readiness and Preparatory Support Program with the objective of strengthening its capacity to access financing for climate-resilient initiatives and to enhance climate data and services in Bhutan. As part of this effort, RSPN is developing strategic frameworks through studies and research. The outputs from the study will provide better understanding of the socio-economic, ecological, and climate situation in the study areas but will also be utilized in formulating climate resilient interventions.

To kickstart this initiative, a national stakeholder meeting on Ecosystem and Socio-economic Resilience Analysis and Mapping (ESRAM) study was conducted at RSPN Head Office, Thimphu earlier today. The objective of this meeting is to introduce the proposed study approach and methodology and to solicit feedback and comments.

RSPN extends its gratitude to all the stakeholders for their participation and continued support to this important initiative!

RSPN Bhutan had a privilege to host a meeting with the officials from Green Climate Fund (GCF) secretariat. The team led by the Executive Director, Ms. Mafalda Duarte of GCF is currently on official visit to Bhutan.

During the meeting, RSPN shared its conservation strategies in saving globally threatened species through community-focused initiatives and building climate resilient societies. RSPN became Delivery Partner to GCF in 2023 for implementing the Readiness Project in Bhutan and currently implements the Readiness Project BTN-RS-006. The update was also made on the progress of project. The meeting also highlighted some of the areas to strengthen partnership between GCF and RSPN. RSPN aspires to become second accredited entities to GCF from Bhutan and the current Readiness Project have outlined scopes in preparation of RSPN for accreditation process.

RSPN, under the Royal Patronage of Her Majesty the Queen of Bhutan and in partnership with government, international partners, foundations and communities is dedicated to preserving Bhutan’s environment. This meeting marks a significant step in strengthening our partnership with the GCF as we work together towards a greener and sustainable future for Bhutan.