Kingdom in the clouds - UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)

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Kingdom in the clouds

February 28, 2015
Zhemgang / Bhutan

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Buli Landscape - ©LoCAL-UNCDF Photo C.Jancloes 2014

After two full days of travel from the capital city, we finally reach Zhemgang town. On the way, Ugen Norbu, the Climate Change Adaptation Planning and Management consultant working for LoCAL-UNCDF jokes : ‘You could just as well make a film about this journey !’
Indeed, getting close to the target areas of the LoCAL project is not an easy thing, particularly in the rugged terrain of Bhutan. At this time of year, it is raining all day. The water brings damages to the roads already in a frail state due to the steep hills. The heavy rains take a toll on the roads: landslides, boulders tumbling down the hill and slippery mud makes travel dangerous and time-consuming.

On arrival, we meet the Head of the District Mr Karma Drukpa. He informs us that too many projects are focusing in the same areas and he wishes to bring fairness in the development of his district. He asks that our next projects consider the more remote areas.
He wants to be fair to his constituents who complain that with other donors now coming in the UNCDF target area, some locations are getting all the benefits while the more remote places are being left out.

Sunset over Zhemgang valley - ©LoCAL-UNCDF Photo C.Jancloes 2014

In normal conditions, access to these remote areas would be ‘easier’. But given the rain, it is nearly impossible for the team to even reach these areas, let alone to plan any activities.
Ugen is concerned 'how can we manage the monitoring?'

The team decides to take on the recommendations made at District level – because despite the logistical challenges, it makes perfect sense for the commune and for LoCAL as well: one of the brand values of LoCAL is that LoCAL ensures the voices of the communities and the poorest are reflected in local development plans and investments, so that climate finance reaches the ones who most need it.

In fact our mission is here to identify entry points to scale up LoCAL in Bhutan. In the next few days we will be meeting with the local governments in Zhemgang district – in Buli and in Manas National Park – some very most remote areas in Bhutan. Workshops are planned in each location to prioritize the most relevant adaptation actions. Ugen meets with Mr Kinley Lhuntse, the Dzongkhag Planning Officer of Zhemgang Dzongkhag Administration to examine the suggested projects for the next phase of LoCAL. This meeting seems like any other but is highly relevant to understand what is going on in LoCAL. What Ugen and Kinley are doing together is making sure there is a solid bridge between national and local administration and budget planning. This is how LoCAL promotes the integration of climate change adaptation into local development planning, supporting the actual implementation of national level climate change and decentralization strategies.

In the first phase, over 39 projects were launched – but Mr Kinley raises the fact that this high number of projects meant that resources were too thinly spread out and that at the end of the day, the budgets became too small. He recommends to focus on fewer projects that could bring much larger added value. With Ugen, they start to look at the potential new projects listed by each commune in the district.

In this second phase, the UNCDF has earmarked over 450 000 USD. The previous areas will continue to receive support but in this second phase, the project will scale up in 4 new Gewoks (or communes), bringing the total number of communes reached to 6. Documents in hand Ugen and Kinley identify a number of potentially interesting activities. Ideally, 2 to 4 activities could be run in each area, with a total of 2.25 Million Ngultrums in each (aprox 35000USD).

But Kinley is also concerned about time: are we going to be able to synchronise the timeframes of development partners with those of the central government and also to match both with the climate and agricultural seasons?

So without delay, on the third day, we travel to one of the most distant Gewoks in our plans. It is the first mission of LoCAL in this area. It takes us a full day, with a punctured tire and a missed turn-off. We arrive at 8PM, after passing by paradise-like waterfalls, with hornbills flying overhead.

The journey seems long, but for locals and for Ugen, this is a record breaking speed! The UNCDF consultant is somewhat familiar with this area – where he wrote his thesis 16 years ago. Until last year, this place was not accessible by road. Ugen explains that it used to take him weeks of intensive hiking to reach this place: ‘in those days, the old people only knew of the next village. That is where the world stopped for them. They had heard about Thimpu but that was about it.’

Tinley, our driver steps in the conversation – impressed by the physical feat of hiking all the way here: ‘You imagine, now by car, we can cover one kilometre in 2 to 4 minutes / km (20km/hour) depending on road conditions!’

One of the first observations that Ugen makes is that one of the main resources at the time (banana leaves used for roofing) is not used anymore and is replaced by corrugated iron sheets. ‘It is easier to manage but also can lead to faster erosion of the soil’.

With daylight, we discover one of the world’s most pristine natural areas: the Manas National Park. Surprisingly, only a few kilometres downstream, a rare species of freshwater dolphins is found, at the confluent of two major rivers that become the Manas River flowing into India. The dolphins are still here, nested between the mountains, as if reaching for altitude!

The team meets up with the local Gewok officers and spends a full day reviewing the proposed lists of activities. This is a very important process – because with expert advice, the commune leaders can assess the climate change value of each activity. They learn about the important climate change indicators to look out for.

In the late afternoon, we make our way out of the Manas Park. The next day we hold another workshop in Panang Gewok before heading back to Zhemgang. It is a good opportunity to capture the climate concerns and assess the awareness of the commune clerks. Here again, new projects are discussed and selected. For LoCAL, the Panang Gewok could become a strategic location between Zhemgang and the Manas park.

The next day, we drive up to the Buli Gewok – I already know this place after visiting the previous year when it was much cooler. This time, it feels like spring with the water flowing in many small streams.

After a heart-warming welcome by the Head of the Gewok, the team runs another full day of workshop.
The Head of the Gewok is very keen on this project and to get involved in a new range of projects. This Gewok was highlighted as one of the most successful in the first phase. Following the Performance Based Climate Resilient Grants system, they are being 'rewarded' for their previous work: they can now expand the range of activities.

LoCAL makes use of performance-based grants for climate resilience, providing financial top-ups in line with results, helping build stronger and more transparent government financial systems. It is revealing to see that the commune leader in Buli, appreciate this system: they are being recognized for their hard work and this further boosts their motivation.

Ugen Norbu and Kinley Lhuntse Review Planning and Budgeting of LoCAL in Zhemgang District

With the previous experience of LoCAL, the commune leaders here are clearly quite advanced in their approach and they propose a new set of unique projects, including for example a demonstration site for new agricultural technologies.

There is also one project that grabs immediately my attention: an ancient shrine was damaged by strong storms - the roof and floor could collapse at any moment on the devout Buddhists that regularly come to pray. The Head of the Commune was very worried that LoCAL may not be able to help – but his face suddenly lights up with joy after the vote of projects: the shrine will get a facelift!
While I witness this moment of relief and happiness, my intuition tells me that this shrine project could have an interesting impact on the villagers, uniquely bringing popular engagement in LoCAL through a common spirit!

We leave Buli – the teams must split in Wangdhue - from here Ugen goes further into the districts near Phobjica valley, for another two full weeks of prioritization; I drive back to Thimpu the capital but before, we spend one last day together in Wangdhue.

After the first week of mission together, I ask him for an overview of the situation. In our previous discussions, he noted that there had been interesting new tools tested such as 'community based contracting' and there were many lessons learned from the first phase. But with the project scaling up, there is a new level of complexity to the management of LoCAL. There is more focus in the approach - and this seems to result in a stronger emphasis of adaptation projects to manage water resources.

Before leaving Bhutan, I have the chance to interview Excellency Dorji Norbu, the Director General of the Department of Local Governance of the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs who kindly explains how LoCAL fit into the perspective of decentralisation in Bhutan. Mr Dorji explains that since the existence of the Kingdom of Bhutan, seven Kings have consecutively developed the country. The fourth King initiated the decentralization process. Gradually, with each new quinquennial government plan the processes were extended, giving additional powers at local levels. This process naturally took time and the country is just now starting to reap the benefits of the decentralized administration system.

In fact, the LoCAL-UNCDF chose Bhutan as a pilot country because of this. LoCAL indeed offers a proven mechanism for the international community to channel for climate change finance to effectively and transparently to reach the most remote and vulnerable regions and populations – but a pre-conditions for LoCAL to take place is an effective decentralized government system. In many countries where local government structures are in place, there is often a lack of capacity to manage engage in climate adaptation – it is a new phenomenon. LoCAL brings this climate change experience at a very important time in Bhutan.

In Bhutan, environmental concerns are taken very seriously and were integrated in every plan since the first one. The country has uniquely managed to maintain a negative carbon footprint with a forest cover of over 70%! So when changes in the climate started to impact the development efforts, adaptation measures were needed.

As Excellency Dorji Norbu explains, the 11th plan fully is focused on Inclusive Green Development and integrates climate adaptation policies and LoCAL was there to help the country to pilot adaptation planning in local governments.

Mr Dorji adds: ‘the LoCAL model was good for us. We were lucky to selected as one of the pilot countries...
I think this model can be replicated in any situation in any other country.’

As my plane slaloms out of the mountain range over Paro, I glance down to the steep hills of this last Shangri-La on earth. From the sky, I can see new roads zigzagging on the mountain slopes. I hear the words of Mr Dorji Norbu echo in my head: ‘For us this was just the beginning'...'We need to do this in every location in all districts!’

Participants take 'notes' of final projects- Prioritisation workshop in Nangla Gewok, - ©LoCAL-UNCDF Photo C.Jancloes 2014