Lyonpo Chenkyab Dorji is a Bhutanese diplomat. He had been the secretary-general of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation [1] from March 1, 2005 to February 29, 2008.
Born in 1943 in Haa District of western Bhutan, H.E. Mr. Chenkyab Dorji graduated in Forestry from Dehradun, India in 1963. He then completed his master's in forestry science from Forestry Research Institute, Dehradun in 1967. Subsequently, he had undertaken training at various world-renowned institutions, including the Swiss Technical Institute in Zurich, Switzerland, and the Wood Technology and Transport in Austria. He is a pioneer forester.
Mr. Dorji joined the civil service of Bhutan in 1961 in the Department of Forests and later served as the first Director until 1984. From 1983 to 1985 he served as Director of the Board of International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), which is located in Kathmandu, Nepal.
In 1984, he was appointed as the Joint Secretary of the Department of Trade, Commerce, and Industry and Mines of Bhutan. A year later, he was promoted to Secretary of the Ministry of Trade, Industries and Forests. In 1986, he served both as the Secretary, National Planning Commission and Secretary, Department of Agriculture.
He held the office of the Vice-chairman and Deputy Minister of Planning Commission (independent charge) during the period of 1988-1991. He was then elevated to the post of Cabinet Minister for Planning and served as its Chairman from 1991 through 1998. He also served as Chairman of the National Environment Commission from 1992 to 1998. During his Chairmanship of above Commissions, two key documents were prepared and published i.e. Bhutan 2020 – A vision for peace, prosperity and happiness 1996, and the Middle Path – National Environment Strategy for Bhutan.
Mr. Dorji also served as Member of several key institutions of Royal Government of Bhutan. He was conferred a number of awards in recognition of his outstanding contributions during his career.
Prior to joining the SAARC Secretariat, Mr. Dorji served as Bhutan’s first resident Ambassador to Thailand at the Royal Bhutanese Embassy in Bangkok. He was concurrently accredited as Ambassador to Singapore, Australia and was also responsible for Bhutan’s relations with other South East Asian Countries.
Dorji has to his credit two titles published i.e. The National Forest Policy (1974), and The Bhutan Forest Act (1969).
Dorji was the first Secretary General of SAARC who comes from Bhutan. It may be added that during the first cycle, Bhutan did not nominate a dignitary for the same position.
Bhutan's early history is steeped in mythology and remains obscure. Some of the structures provide evidence that the region has been settled as early as 2000 BC. According to a legend it was ruled by a Cooch-Behar king, Sangaldip, around the 7th century BC, but not much is known prior to the introduction of Tibetan Buddhism in the 9th century, when turmoil in Tibet forced many monks to flee to Bhutan. In the 12th century, the Drukpa Kagyupa school was established and remains the dominant form of Buddhism in Bhutan today. The country's political history is intimately tied to its religious history and relations among the various monastic schools and monasteries.
Jigme Singye Wangchuck is a member of the House of Wangchuck who was the king of Bhutan from 1972 until his abdication in 2006. During his reign, he advocated the use of a Gross National Happiness index to measure the well-being of citizens rather than Gross domestic product.
Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia situated in the Eastern Himalayas between China in the north and India in the south. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of 38,394 square kilometres (14,824 sq mi), Bhutan ranks 133rd in land area and 160th in population. Bhutan is a constitutional monarchy with a king as the head of state and a prime minister as the head of government. Vajrayana Buddhism is the state religion and the Je Khenpo is the head of the state religion.
LyonpoSangay Ngedup was Prime Minister of Bhutan from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2005 to 2006.
A kabney is a silk scarf worn as a part of the gho, the traditional male attire in Bhutan. It is raw silk, normally 90 cm × 300 cm with fringes. Kabney is worn over the traditional coat gho; it runs from the left shoulder to the right hip, and is worn at special occasions or when visiting a dzong. Kabney is also referred as Bura, which means wild silk.
DashoLhendup Dorji was a member of the Dorji family of Bhutan. He was also the brother of the Queen of Bhutan, Ashi Kesang choden and uncle to the fourth king of Bhutan, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck. He served as acting Lyonchen following the assassination of his brother, Lyonchen Jigme Palden Dorji, on April 5, 1964.
Prince DashoJigyel Ugyen Wangchuck is a Bhutanese prince. Born as the second son of the King of Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuck, he was the heir presumptive to the throne of Bhutan until 5 February 2016, when his nephew Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, his older half-brother and current King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck's son, was born.
The Council of Ministers is the highest executive body in Bhutan. It was created in 1999 by Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the fourth King of Bhutan.
Dasho Kinley Dorji was Bhutan's first trained journalist who became founder, then managing director and editor in chief of Kuensel, Bhutan's national newspaper. In 2009 he became Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Communications, a position he held until 2016.
Kalden "Kelly" Sonam Dorji is a Bhutanese actor, model, and artist who works primarily in Indian movies.
The Dorji family of Bhutan has been a prominent and powerful political family in the kingdom since the 12th century AD. The family has produced monarchs, Prime Minister of Bhutan, Prime Ministers, Dzong lords and governors. The fourth king of Bhutan Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, as well as his son the current fifth king of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, are also members of the Dorji family and therefore also descendants of the royal family of Sikkim. The Dorji family is also the holder of the Bhutan House estate in Kalimpong, India.
Sir Raja Sonam Topgay Dorji CIE, also called Tobgay, was a member of the Dorji family and Bhutanese politician who served between 1917 and 1952 in the Royal Government under the First and Second Kings of Bhutan. During this period, Topgay Dorji officially held the posts of Gongzim, Deb Zimpon, and Trade Agent to the Government of Bhutan. As such, Topgay Dorji was responsible for fostering Anglo-Bhutanese relations, and later, Bhutan–India relations. Topgay's ties with the west and modernist political factions contributed significantly to the modern political landscape and modernization of Bhutan.
Bhutan–Pakistan relations refer to foreign relations between Bhutan and Pakistan. Relations have been active at least since 2004. Both nations are members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the United Nations. Neither country has a resident ambassador.
Lam Dorji was the Chief Operations Officer (COO) of the Royal Bhutan Army (RBA) from 1964 to 2005. He was succeeded by Batoo Tshering on 1 November 2005.
Pema Gyamtsho is a Bhutanese politician who served as the Second Party President of the Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly of Bhutan from 2013 until his resignation to become the Director General of ICIMOD in 2020. He also served as the Minister of Agriculture and Forests in the first elected government of Bhutan.
AumDorji Choden is a Bhutanese politician. She was appointed minister of Bhutan's Works and Human Settlement Ministry in 2013, making her the first woman to serve as a minister in Bhutanese cabinet.
Lotay Tshering is a Bhutanese politician and surgeon who was the prime minister of Bhutan, in office from 7 November 2018 to 1 November 2023. He has also been the president of Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa since 14 May 2018.
Tandi Dorji is a Bhutanese politician who served as Foreign Minister for Bhutan from November 2018 to 2024. He has been a member of the National Assembly of Bhutan, since October 2018.
Dasho Dawa Dem was a Bhutanese bureaucrat. The first woman to join the Bhutanese civil service, she held positions in various government branches, namely the Royal Secretariat, the Thimphu District Administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Royal Advisory Council, in a career spanning two decades, from 1965 to 1985. She helped establish the National Women's Association of Bhutan in 1981 was appointed its secretary in 1985. She retired in 2009 and died in 2018.
Shingkhar Lam Kunzang Wangchuk was a Bhutanese politician, who served as a speaker of the Gyelyong Tshogdu. After his uncle went missing, he served two Druk Gyalpos (kings) of Bhutan. He created the insignia for the Royal Bhutan Army and rewrote the Druk Tsendhen.