June e-News
Launching CSO-Led Projects: FSTP Grant Kicks Off for Inclusive Governance
The Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy (BCMD), in collaboration with Deutsche Welle Akademie (DW Akademie), convened a Grant Agreement Signing and orientation session for four Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) that successfully secured funding under the Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) grant scheme. This initiative is part of the ongoing project, “Building Inclusive Democracy: Civil Society, Parliamentarians, Media, and Youth Strengthen Good Governance in Bhutan”, supported by the European Union (EU).
The grant scheme has been created to support CSOs in conducting research that contributes to the development of thematic policy briefs aligned with their missions and areas of focus. This initiative aims to enhance CSOs’ analytical capacities and promote the use of evidence-based approaches in their engagement with policymakers and decision-makers. Ongoing dialogue and collaboration among partners will further strengthen coordination, build mutual trust, and help institutionalise a sustainable framework for good governance and a vibrant democracy.
The four selected CSOs, Bhutan Toilet Organisation (BTO), Disabled People’s Organisation of Bhutan (DPOB), Nazhoen Lamtoen, and Organisation for Youth Empowerment (OYE), will be implementing a series of initiatives over the next ten months. These initiatives will address key thematic areas, including education and youth, gender and vulnerable groups, and health and sanitation.
CSO Quarterly Meet 2025
The Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy (BCMD), in partnership with the two elected Civil Society Organisation (CSO) Representatives to the CSO Authority, convened the first CSO Quarterly Meeting of 2025 in Thimphu today. The quarterly meetings are a joint undertaking of Deutsche Welle Akademie (DW Akademie), BCMD and Bhutan Transparency Initiative (BTI) with financial support from the European Union (EU).
The gathering brought together representatives from 35 CSOs across Bhutan to review recent developments and discuss shared priorities for the sector. To ensure continuity, BCMD delivered a brief update on the key outcomes of the previous Annual CSO Summit, helping to orient new and returning participants to ongoing discussions.
A key highlight of the meeting was the presentation of the final draft of the CSO Bi-Annual Meeting and Annual Summit Guideline, prepared by the Handicraft Association of Bhutan (HAB). The draft, which integrated feedback from earlier consultations, was presented for endorsement by the wider CSO community.
The CSO Authority Secretariat also shared an overview of the Bhutan Civil Society Accountability Standard (BCAS) screening and evaluation process. The CSO representatives provided several suggestions, including the need to simplify documentation requirements, introducing a grace period for appeals to enable submission of clarification and additional document submissions, accounting for the diverse capacities of CSOs in evaluations, and providing disaggregated performance data to help organisations identify areas for improvement.
The Coordinator of the Wellbeing Thematic Group of CSOs led a session on the evolving role of CSOs within Bhutan’s broader policy and development landscape. He emphasised the need for early consultations between CSOs and the government during the formulation of laws and policies. To support this, a proposal was made to allow relevant thematic CSO committees to formally seek engagement through the CSO Authority Secretariat for direct dialogue with policymakers.
The meeting also raised a common concern regarding the imposition of overlapping penalties for late document submissions and annual renewals, with participants calling for greater clarity and fairness in these processes.
As CSOs continue to navigate complex operational and governance challenges, the Quarterly Meeting reaffirmed the critical importance of sustained engagement, institutional support, and unified advocacy to strengthen Bhutan’s civil society ecosystem, a cornerstone of a vibrant democracy.