Mrs. de Albuquerque with Her Excellency Dorji Choden, Minister of Works and Human Settlements
Ms. Catarina de Albuquerque, SWA's Executive Chair, was recently in Bhutan at the invitation of the Government, to meet with key ministries and development partners, and to be a speaker at the Third B-WASH Cluster Meeting.
The Kingdom of Bhutan recently became a partner of SWA, joining 71 other world government in the multi-stakeholder partnership that aims to achieve sanitation, water and hygiene for all, always and everywhere.
Ms. de Albuquerque met with Her Excellency Dorji Choden, Minister of Works and Human Settlements and His Excellency Lyonpo Namgay Dorji, Minister of Finance , as well as representatives of the Gross National Happiness Commission, UNICEF, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. She discussed the importance of sanitation, water and hygiene for the achievement of the country’s Water Flagship Programme, and how the political prioritization of and coordination within this sector are key towards
Mrs. de Albuquerque with His Excellency Lyonpo Namgay Dorji, Minister of Finance
achievement of other development goals such as health, environmental protection and education.
“I was inspired by the government's commitment to the happiness and well being of its people, and the acknowledgement by decision-makers of the key contribution of safe water and sanitation. As a partnership that values and promotes multi-stakeholder cooperation, I commend the B-WASH Cluster initiative for its efforts in bringing together such a wide variety of players in the sector.” Ms. de Albuquerque remarked, continuing, “I hope that Bhutan’s involvement with SWA proves to be mutually enriching for the Kingdom and other countries around the world.”
SWA partners work towards a common vision of sanitation, hygiene and water for all, always and everywhere.
SWA Executive Chair with representatives of the Gross National Happiness Commission