LocationsThe Himalayan nation is one of six countries selected for Phase II of the Nature for Health initiative, funded by Germany’s International Climate Initiative.
Bhutan joins Nature for Health initiative to help prevent future pandemics
May 18, 2026
Dasho Thinley Namgyel, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, and Mohammad Younus, UNDP Resident Representative, launched the scoping stage (process) for the Nature for Health initiative in Thimphu on 13 May 2026.
UNDP/Dechen Wangmo
Bhutan has joined the Nature for Health (N4H) initiative, a global effort to stop the next pandemic before it starts by addressing their environmental causes. The country is one of six selected for the initiative’s second phase, which brings together governments and leading international organizations in the field of health and environment to reduce the risk of zoonotic diseases spilling from animals to humans through environmental action.
Past pandemics, and more recently, the COVID-19 have shown that long before a virus reaches hospitals, shuts borders or shakes economies, the warning signs often appear in places far from public view – in degraded forests, shrinking habitats and other places where people, livestock and wildlife are pushed into closer contact.
Scientists say that nearly three-quarters of new infectious diseases in humans come from animals. They link this trend to environmental damage, biodiversity loss, land-use change, climate pressure, livestock practices, and the trade and consumption of wildlife.
The consequences of that spillover can be devastating. COVID-19 alone caused more than 6.5 million deaths and an estimated USD 12.5 trillion in global economic losses, underscoring the staggering price of responding after a pandemic begins. By contrast, experts say preventing outbreaks at their source would cost only a fraction of that amount.
The N4H is a global initiative that works to address the growing health impacts of climate change and prevent future pandemics by tackling their environmental drivers. It is funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection.
For Bhutan, where environmental conservation is central to national development, the initiative offers a chance to better connect ecosystem protection with public health. It also places the country in a wider global effort that treats pandemic prevention not only as a health challenge, but also as an environmental one.
“I would like to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to the Nature for Health Secretariat and the International Climate Initiative of Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection for supporting Bhutan’s Nature for Health initiative, and to UNDP for its strong partnership and continued support as a convening partner for this important initiative,” Dasho Thinley Namgyel said.
Dasho Thinley Namgyel, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests
UNDP/Dechen Wangmo
What's next?
Managed as a UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund, N4H follows a One Health approach, which recognizes that the health of people, animals and the environment is closely linked. Under this approach, threats such as pandemics, zoonotic diseases, food insecurity, and climate change cannot be addressed by the health sector alone. They require coordination across health, livestock, wildlife, agriculture, forestry, and environment sectors.
Over the next nine months, a core team made up of representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Ministry of Finance and UNDP will lead the scoping process. The team will carry out a system-wide review to develop a practical and sustainable project document for implementation.
Stressing the need for cross-sector collaboration, Dasho Thinley Namgyel said, “Very often, the most transformative solutions emerge when experts from different sectors come together to ask the same question from different perspectives.”
The scoping process will focus on high-risk areas, priority diseases, and emerging threats. It will create a clear path for bringing biodiversity and ecosystem concerns into One Health planning, an area long recognized as a critical gap globally.
The Inter-Ministerial Committee on One Health in Bhutan, co-chaired on a rotating basis by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and the Ministry of Health (with multi-sectoral representation from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and the Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan as well), along with the Bhutan One Health Secretariat, will also play a key role in advancing N4H and broader One Health efforts in the country.
At the launch of N4H initiative on 13 May 2026
UNDP/Dechen Wangmo
Why the N4H initiative matters for Bhutan
As the Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests said, the N4H initiative comes at a critical time. “Bhutan today stands at the convergence of three defining realities.”
First, Bhutan sits in one of Asia’s most important human-animal-environment interfaces. Over the past decade alone, the country has seen anthrax outbreaks, recurring outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, and rising cases of dengue, scrub typhus, leptospirosis, and brucellosis. These are signs of deeper ecological and epidemiological shifts.
Second, Bhutan’s environment is changing quickly. Since 1976, average temperatures have risen by about 0.8 degrees Celsius, and this warming is accelerating. The country’s glaciers, which support much of the economy and lives and livelihoods of its people, are retreating nearly 16 metres a year. Scientists warn this raises concerns not only about water security and climate risks, but also about ancient pathogens that could emerge from thawing frozen landscapes.
At the same time, forest fires continue to damage ecosystems, while infrastructure expansion and land-use change increasingly push wildlife and human settlements into closer contact.
Human-wildlife conflict is also increasing. In 2023 alone, more than 220 incidents were recorded. Southern districts such as Samtse, Sarpang and Samdrup Jongkhar have become key high-risk areas where biodiversity, agriculture, livestock and human communities overlap.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, Bhutan has the policy framework, political will and development approach needed to respond decisively.
“Bhutan’s commitment to One Health did not begin today. Our journey has evolved over many years, from early national risk assessments and preparedness measures after the 2003 HPAI H5N1 outbreak in Southeast Asia to the National Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Plan of 2006, and through later strategies that steadily strengthened preparedness, surveillance and coordination,” Dasho Thinley Namgyel said.
Today, the Bhutan One Health Strategic Action Plan 2025–2030 sets out six priorities: stronger health systems, action on emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases, control of endemic and neglected diseases, food safety, antimicrobial resistance, and environmental and ecosystem health.
Bhutan has also put governance mechanisms in place to support implementation. The Inter-Ministerial Committee on One Health provides strategic oversight, while the Bhutan One Health Secretariat and technical working groups coordinate work across sectors.
Nature for Health also gives Bhutan a chance to connect One Health principles directly to its biodiversity agenda as the country implements its fifth National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, launched last September. This would help frame conservation also as an investment in public health, pandemic prevention and long-term resilience.
Bhutan also sees N4H as a way to strengthen regional cooperation, early warning systems and cross-border information sharing.
Still, important gaps remain. Dedicated funding for One Health is limited. The Secretariat works with constrained resources, and biodiversity and ecosystem health are not yet fully integrated into the country’s health security agenda, even as environmental degradation continues to reshape disease risk.
“This is precisely why Nature for Health arrives at such an important moment,” Dasho Thinley Namgyel said.
Mr. Mohammad Younus, Resident Representative, UNDP
UNDP/Dechen Wangmo
How is UNDP supporting?
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is playing a central role as a convening partner, supporting cross-sector coordination, policy coherence, and integrated planning across climate, biodiversity, and health systems.
Building on its longstanding partnership with the Royal Government of Bhutan across climate, biodiversity, resilience and governance UNDP will facilitate evidence-based design, strengthen alignment of investments across sectors, and support the development of coordinated, prevention-focused solutions that deliver co-benefits for people and nature.
Through this role, UNDP will also help bridge government, development partners, and financing streams to ensure that N4H translates into actionable, scalable, and sustainable outcomes.
“Bhutan has long demonstrated leadership in recognizing that environmental stewardship and human wellbeing are inseparable. Through Nature4Health, Bhutan has an opportunity to further demonstrate how prevention, sustainability, and resilience can advance together in practice,” said Mohammad Younus, UNDP Resident Representative.
“UNDP remains fully committed to supporting the Royal Government of Bhutan throughout this journey. Most importantly, this is Bhutan’s process — nationally led, nationally owned, and shaped by Bhutan’s vision for the future.”
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