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Activities in Bhutan

List of Activities

Grant Aid

Technical Cooperation Projects

SATREPS (Joint Research)

ODA Loan projects

Technical Training

Outline of Activities

Grant Aid

(1) Project for Reconstruction of Bridges on Primary National Highway No. 1

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Duration: 3 years (March 2015 to June 2018)
Project type: Grant Assistance
Implementing Agency: Department of Roads, Ministry of Works and Human Settlement
Approximate cost: JPY 1,956m
Project Purpose: Reconstruction of Chuzomsa zam, Nikachu zam (Wangdue Phodrang dzongkhag) and Zalamchu zam (Trongsa dzongkhag)
Overall goal: To contribute to the economic development of the region by replacement of bridges on Primary national Highway No 1.


(2) Project for Improvement of Machinery and Equipment for Construction of Rural Agriculture Roads (Phase 3)

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Duration: 3 years (March 2016 to April 2018)
Project type: Grant Assistance
Implementing Agency: Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests
Approximate cost: JPY 966m
Project Purpose and Goal: To improve the accessibility in rural areas through construction and maintenance of farm roads by procuring the necessary machinery and equipment, thereby contributing to sustainable economic growth.


(3) Project for Reconstruction of Bridges on Primary National Highway No. 4

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Duration: 3 years (Nov 2017 to Jan 2012)
Project type: Grant Assistance
Implementing Agency: Department of Roads, Ministry of Works and Human Settlement
Approximate cost: JPY 2,156m
Project Purpose: to increase load carrying capacity and vehicle lanes by reconstruction of Telegangchu bridge, Beteni bridge, Samkhara bridge and Passang bridge.
Overall goal: To contribute for promotion of economy and improvement of living standard of the local communities in Trongsa and Gelephu.


(4) Project for Improvement of Farm Machinery for Hiring Services of Tillage

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Duration: 3 years (October 2016 to Nov 2018)
Project type: Grant Assistance
Implementing Agency: Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests
Approximate cost: JPY 250m
Project Purpose and Goal: To improve accessibility to farm machinery hiring services by providing farm machinery, thereby contributing to sustainable economic development.


(5) Project for Improvement of Medical Equipment at the National and Regional Referral Hospitals

Duration: 5 years (March 2017 to May 2022)
Project type: Grant Assistance
Implementing Agency: Department of Medical Services, Ministry of Health
Approximate cost: JPY 551m
Project Purpose: Procurement and installation of diagnostic medical equipment at Jigme Dorji Wangchuk National Referral Hospital in Thimphu, Central Regional Referral Hospital in Gelephu and Eastern Regional Referral Hospital in Mongar.
Overall Goal: To enhance the diagnostic services to be provided by the National and Regional Referral Hospitals and improve the access to medical services for population living in the eastern and central region of Bhutan

Technical Cooperation Projects

(1) Project for Strengthening of Farm mechanization (Phase II)

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Duration: 4 years (August 2014- Aug 2018)
Project type: Technical Cooperation Project
Implementing Agency: Agriculture Machinery Centre, Department of Agriculture
Approximate cost: JPY 310m
Project Director: Director, Department of Agriculture
Project Manager: Programme Director, AMC
Counterpart: Agriculture Machinery Centre official Project purpose: Farmers have better access to appropriate farm machinery in the sites
Overall goal: Farmers have better access to appropriate farm machinery in Bhutan.


(2) Community Entrepreneurial Capacity and Rural Enterprise Development (Phase II)

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Duration: 3 years (April 2017-March 2020)
Project type: Country-specific Training
Implementing Agency: Department of Cottage and Small Industry, Ministry of Economic Affairs
Project purpose: Enhance capacity of government officials, community leaders, entrepreneurs and supporting agencies.
Overall goal: To consolidate a system promote rural entrepreneurship tailored for local conditions.


(3) Project on Support for Community Engagement in Local Governance

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Duration: 3 years and 3 months (Sept 2015 – November 2018)
Project type: Technical Cooperation Project
Implementing Agency: Department of Local Government , Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs
Approximate cost: JPY200m
Project Director: Director General, Department of Local Government
Project Manager: Chief of Division,
Project purpose: The mechanism for strengthening ownership and engagement of community groups in local governance is established.
Overall goal: Measures for promoting community groups' engagement in local governance are taken nationwide.


(4) Integrated Horticulture Promotion Project

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Duration: 5 years (January 2016 to January 2021)
Project type: Technical Cooperation Project
Implementing Agency: Department of Agriculture, Research and Development Centre, Bajo, Wangduephodrang
Approximate cost: JPY400m
Project Director: Director, Department of Agriculture
Project Manager: Program Director, Research and Development Centre, Bajo, Wangduephodrang
Project purpose: Implementation system for promotion of horticulture production in the target areas is developed
Overall goal: Horticulture production is expanded with appropriate technologies in the target areas.


(5) Capacity Development in Construction and Maintenance of Bridges

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Duration: 3 years (Oct 2016-Sep 2019)
Project type: Technical Cooperation Project
Implementing Agency: Department of Roads, Ministry of Works and Human Settlement
Approximate cost: JPY296m
Project Director: Director, Department of Roads
Project purpose: Capacity of Bhutanese engineers involved in bridge construction and maintenance/ repair of bridges under DoR is enhanced.


(6) Formulation of Comprehensive Development Plan (CNDP) for Bhutan

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Duration: 2 years 3 months (Dec 2016 – Jan 2019)
Project type: Technical Cooperation Project
Implementing Agency: Department of Housing and Settlement, Ministry of Works and Human Settlement
Approx cost: JPY 362m
Project Director: Director, Department of Housing and Settlement
Project purpose and overall goal: to formulate a Comprehensive National Development Plan with the ultimate objectives to promote well-balanced development in urban and rural areas across the entire country through the implementation of the CNDP for maximizing the level of GNH.


(7) Project for Power Systems Master Plan

Duration: 2 years (December 2017- November 2019)
Project type: Technical Cooperation Project
Implementing Agency: Department of Hydro Power
Approximate cost: JPY330m
Project purpose: By reviewing the current situation and future prospect, the Project will formulate a Power System Master Plan for Bhutan, which will help prioritize hydro power projects to be taken up for implementation taking into consideration the financial,environmental and social aspects. .

SATREPS (Joint Research)

(1)Project for Evaluation and Mitigation of Seismic Risk for Composite Masonry Buildings

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Duration: 5 years (April 2017-Mar 2022)
Project type: Technical Cooperation Project
Implementing Agencies: Department of Disaster Management (DDM), Department of Culture (DOC), Department of Geology and Mines (DGM) and Department of Engineering Services (DES)
Approximate cost: JPY352m
Project Director: Director General, DDM
Project Purpose: The capacity of responsible governmental organizations (DDM, DOC, DGM and DES) for seismic disaster mitigation of the composite masonry buildings is enhanced. It has three expected outputs: 1.Seismic risks of composite masonry buildings are evaluated; 2.Seismic technology for constructing and strengthening composite masonry buildings is developed; and 3.The dissemination mechanism for the seismic technology is enhanced.


ODA Loan projects

(1) Rural Electrification (Phase II)

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Duration: 11 years (June 2011-Oct 2022)
Project type: ODA Loan
Date signed: 23 June 2011
Executing Agency: Department of Renewal Energy, Ministry of Economic Affairs
Implementing Agency: Rural Electrification Department, Bhutan Power Corporation
Approximate cost: JPY 2,187 million Project Purpose: To provide access to electricity for un-electrified households in all 11 dzongkhags (target 3,728 households, achieved 4,209 households) and other facilities by constructing distribution lines and related facilities in the rural areas of Bhutan, thereby improving living standards of the local residents including the poor, promoting economic and social development and mitigation of climate change in the concerned areas.


Technical Training

(1) Knowledge Co-creation Program

The Technical Training Program involves the transfer of knowledge and technology required by respective countries through the training of key administrators, technicians and researcher in developing countries and regions. This is the most fundamental human development program implemented by JICA.

The program has grown steadily not only in sale but also in terms of content since its launch in 1954. JICA has been working on training related to global issues, including the environment, and new issues such as support from democratization and transitions to market economies. The program also offers trainings in agriculture, forestry, education, health and local governance.

JICA Bhutan Office mainly conducts the selection of training courses and liaises between JICA Headquarters and the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) after receiving the invitation and other related information on the training.

For the financial year 2018, the training courses under the Knowledge Co-creation Program approved are as follows.

  1. Medical Equipment Management and Maintenance(A)
  2. Enhancement of Training Management in Vocational Training Institutes(A)
  3. Flood disaster risk reduction
  4. Disaster Risk Reduction of Buildings (against Earthquake, Tsunami and Fire)
  5. Water Related Disaster Risk Reduction
  6. Branding and Marketing of Products utilizing local resources(A)
  7. Hydropower Planning and Operation
  8. Industrial Development and Promotion utilizing local resources
  9. Practical Human Resource Development in Electrical and Electronic Engineering -Aiming at Elimination of Technological Gap between Education and Field Site-
  10. Fire Management and Disaster Risk Reduction
  11. Public Personnel Administration for Middle Level Officials
  12. Innovations in Use of New Data Sources and Methodologies for SDG Statistics
  13. Planning and Management of National Mapping and Surveying
  14. Bridge Maintenance
  15. Government Audit on Public Construction Works
  16. The Land Readjustment Method for Urban Development
  17. General Management for Regional Development and Planning
  18. Development of Recycling Policy
  19. National and Regional Development Policy
  20. Improvement of accessibility for social inclusion - Barrier-free environment for all -
  21. Participatory Irrigation Management System for Paddies(A)

All the trainings offers are sent to the Royal civil Service Commission (RCSC) which is the focal agent for Human resource Development in Bhutan.

(2) Training Program for Young Leaders

To promote Human Resources Development and to develop their specialties by experiencing and learning, a group of young civil servants (10-12 people in a group) from across the country has been participating in training in Japan for almost 20 days in Japan since 2003. The training was arranged under the approved courses for JICA's Knowledge Co-Creation Program (Young Leaders) .

In 2018 the approved courses are:

  1. Lifestyle-Related Diseases (non-communicable) Prevention Course
  2. Local Governance Course

Volunteer Program

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JICA's volunteer program is one of Japan's technical cooperation schemes operated as part of its Official Development Assistance (ODA). The program dispatches eager Japanese citizens who wish to participate in assisting developing countries and also have the adequate skills, knowledge and experience to answer the calls for assistance from their governments.

Today 30 years later, since its first dispatch to Bhutan in July 1988, a total of 432 JOCVs and 146 Senior Volunteers have been dispatched to contribute to the development of the kingdom and exchange of friendship working together with the local community across Bhutan. The first volunteer, a farm machinery engineer was dispatched to Bhutan based on the notes exchanged between the Royal Government of Bhutan and Government of Japan in April of 1987.

During the initial stages of the JOCV program in Bhutan, agriculture and infrastructure mainly in civil engineering were the main fields of assignments. From 1992 onwards, request expanded in other several technical fields like telecommunication, system engineering, commerce and finance. Even the places of assignments began to spread to all over the country. The trend suddenly moved on towards the Health and Education where JOCV's were requested as Laboratory Technologists, Health & Physical Education Instructor, Midwife, Dialysis, NICU & ICU Nurse, Medical Equipment Engineer, Judo, Primary School Education (Art's Teacher) etc.

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