Bhutan

International IDEA has supported the country’s transition to democracy since 2012, assisting the Election Commission of Bhutan through capacity building activities. From 2013 onwards, our support was extended to the parliament, helping them meet their constitutional mandates. 

International IDEA’s technical advice and support is aimed at building the capacity of the legislators and staff in the parliamentary secretariat and promoting institutional reform through effective streamlining and formalization of procedures. We contribute to, among other things, improving the legislative and policy analysis capacity of the parliamentarians; building human resource capacity of the secretariat through peer learning with other regional and global parliamentary bodies; training members of parliament on effective media relations and communication outreach; and enhancing research and drafting skills of the key parliamentary committee staff.

With support from the European Union, International IDEA has implemented two phases of Project ‘Nyamdrel. In the Bhutanese language, ‘Nyamdrel means “harmony”.  This project was designed to strengthen collaboration between the Parliament of Bhutan and civil society organizations (CSOs).

Under ‘Nyamdrel I, the project strengthened the collaboration between the Parliament of Bhutan and CSOs by enhancing CSO engagement in legislative and oversight processes, while further supporting the Parliament to improve public hearings, communication, transparency, and accessibility. The project also built CSO capacity for policy advocacy, media engagement, and networking through sub-grants and structured collaboration mechanisms.

During this first phase of the project, launched in 2021, key achievements or thematic focus included strengthening Parliament–CSO engagement frameworks, enhancing CSO participation in parliamentary processes, improving Parliament’s public communication and outreach systems, and building CSO capacity through targeted training, sub-grants, and collaboration platforms for policy advocacy and media engagement.

The second phase, running from 2024 to 2026, seeks to advance democratization and sustainable development by further strengthening cooperation between Bhutan’s Parliament and CSOs whilst also engaging with the media to increase understanding of Parliamentary mechanisms. It builds on the outcomes of the first phase by deepening institutional collaboration and supporting more structured and sustainable engagement between the Parliament and civil society. The project focuses on strengthening CSO participation in parliamentary processes, enhancing Parliament’s public communication and outreach, and institutionalizing key practices from the Parliament–CSO Collaboration and Communication Strategies, including standardized public hearings and broader citizen engagement.