From Water to the World, UNICEF celebrates 50 years of partnership with Bhutan

Zhemgang, March 22, 2024: Marking a new era of hope and progress for children and young people while celebrating UNICEF’s partnership with the Royal Government of Bhutan, UNICEF Bhutan activated its 50^th anniversary celebration with the inaugural of an inclusive toilet at Zhemgang Primary School today.

Coinciding with World Water Day, the anniversary’s activation marked together with the Ministry of Education and Skills Development and Zhemgang Dzongkhag administration, comes full circle as UNICEF first started its work with Rural Water Sanitation and Hygiene Programme in Bhutan in 1974 in Trashigang and Tsirang districts.

Since then, UNICEF’s work has expanded to improve the lives of children across education, health, nutrition, child protection, adolescent development and participation and social policy.

Access to water is a basic human right, one that underpins progress and builds the foundation for all other rights especially those related to children’s survival, nutrition, health, education, protection and wellbeing. Which is why, when UNICEF first started its work 50 years ago in Bhutan, it started with water – connecting homes and communities with water to ensure sanitation and hygiene for children and their families.

Today, Bhutan is open defecation free and close to achieving universal coverage of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in schools. Building on this success, UNICEF has begun working with partners to expand WASH services to monastic institutions and health care facilities and to make WASH services in schools inclusive and resilient to the impacts of climate change. 

The inclusive toilet at Zhemgang Lower Secondary School is one such WASH facility, the  eighth UNICEF has supported in schools with Special Education Needs programme. Together, the inclusive toilets across Bhutan are benefiting 287 children with disabilities in schools. UNICEF has also supported the construction of five inclusive toilets in monastic schools benefitting 335 child monks and nuns including those with disabilities.

UNICEF’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia Noala Skinner said, inclusive climate resilient toilets are more than a sanitation target.  

“They are an expression of the commitment we saw last year when the Parliament ratified the Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,” Noala Skinner  said. “This means all children, regardless of their abilities, have opportunities to reach their full potential with dignity.”

Zhemgang Dzongdag Kesang Jigme said one of the seven key strategies developed to achieve its aspiration of becoming a prosperous and harmonious district by 2034 is to improve human capital by providing quality education, skills training and healthcare.

“We believe that a highly productive population will be a strong driver of sustained socio-economic development. So, support such as those provided by UNICEF and others will go a long way in ensuring our young people go on to become highly productive citizens in the future,” the Dzongdag said. “We celebrate the efforts of organizations like UNICEF and pledge to work towards a future where clean water is a universal right.”

According to records with the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, 92 per cent of schools in Bhutan have access to safe drinking water and 97 per cent have improved sanitation. To address the gap of WASH in schools, the education ministry is collaborating with UNICEF to build climate resilient drinking water supply systems.

Chief of Health & Wellbeing Division with the ministry, Karma Wangchuk said that building on the initiative to construct inclusive toilets with UNICEF, the Ministry will construct 16 more inclusive toilets in schools with SEN programmes in the next two years.  “We have good coverage of WASH facilities in schools, but challenges remain in terms of quality of toilets, quantity and safety,” he said.

UNICEF in partnership with the Royal Government of Bhutan and with the support of donors is  addressing these challenges, and in this celebratory year, marking 50 years of progress for children and young people, UNICEF and partners recommit to building on our shared successes and realizing a Bhutan where every child has every opportunity.

In celebrating the collective achievements for children over the last 50 years, Noala Skinner also reminded of the need to plan for the future. “That means investing in Bhutan’s most precious citizens today. UNICEF is ready to walk that path with you and all our partners in Bhutan to give every child, every opportunity.”