Bhutan became a member of the United Nations in 1971. Bhutan does not have diplomatic relations with any of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, including the United States. Although Bhutan and the United States have never established formal diplomatic relations, the two countries maintain warm, informal relations via the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India, and Bhutan’s
Bhutan became a member of the United Nations in 1971. Bhutan does not have diplomatic relations with any of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, including the United States. Although Bhutan and the United States have never established formal diplomatic relations, the two countries maintain warm, informal relations via the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India, and Bhutan’s Mission to the United Nations in New York. The U.S. Government annually brings several Bhutanese participants to the United States through its International Visitors, Humphrey Fellows, and Fulbright Programs. Bhutan participates in the South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy Integration (SARI/EI), a program sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that helps countries increase energy security through cross-border trade, clean energy access, and improved energy market practices. Bhutan receives USAID-supported training on a range of disaster management topics. The United States Government is also providing support to Bhutan to fight COVID-19 and its economic impacts. Bhutan also receives State Department-supported assistance to implement programs to counter trafficking in persons and to support Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programming. Bhutanese officials and military officers have attended courses at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies.
The United States and Bhutan cooperate on a number of initiatives. The U.S. Government annually brings several Bhutanese participants to the United States through its International Visitors, Humphrey Fellows, and Fulbright Programs. Bhutan participates in the South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy Integration (SARI/EI), a program funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that helps enhance energy security
The United States and Bhutan cooperate on a number of initiatives. The U.S. Government annually brings several Bhutanese participants to the United States through its International Visitors, Humphrey Fellows, and Fulbright Programs. Bhutan participates in the South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy Integration (SARI/EI), a program funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that helps enhance energy security in the region through cross-border power trade, clean energy development, including hydropower, and improved power market practices. The U.S. Government further deepened its energy partnership with the Royal Government of Bhutan through USAID’s South Asia Regional Energy Partnership (SAREP), which will support regional power trade. Bhutan also receives USAID-supported training on a range of disaster management topics as well as funding from USAID’s Global Health Bureau for COVAX vaccines and support for iodine nutrition projects. The United States Government provides support to Bhutan to fight COVID-19 and its economic impacts including creating livelihoods and enhancing food security for farmers in the agricultural sector. Since July 2021 the United States has donated over 600,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to the people of Bhutan in partnership with COVAX. Bhutan receives State Department-supported assistance to implement programs to counter trafficking in persons and to support Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programming. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Bhutan partnered on the Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) project to train Bhutanese teachers on data collection and field-based Earth science.
Bhutan and the United States cooperate at a number of international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank.
Integrated Country Strategies
The Integrated Country Strategy is the four-year strategy articulating U.S. priorities in a given country. The Chief of Mission leads the strategy.
Since July, 2021 the United States has donated 777,970 safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine doses with the people of Bhutan. Of the 777,970 vaccine doses, 100% were donated in partnership with COVAX.
The United States is committed to leading an international and coordinated effort to accelerate access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines to meet global needs. The United States is working with other governments and partners including COVAX, Caricom, and the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) to protect communities from COVID-19 and apply lessons from this pandemic to enhance health security now and in the future.
