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.

A project inception meeting was held today providing contextual background on the approved Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme, BTN-RS-006 project under Green Climate Fund (GCF). 

The meeting outlined the sequence of project implementation process assuring collective responsibility among various agencies identified to implement it.The meeting was participated by relevant stakeholders for the project that include government officials and Civil Society Organizations. 

RSPN Bhutan as a Delivery Partner to GCF coordinates the overall implementation of the project. RSPN is grateful to NDA and DAE for the necessary support. This project will end in 2026. We are grateful to NDA, DAE and other partners for utmost support for the kickstart of this project. We also extend our gratitude to GCF secretariat and UNOPS  for their continued support.