South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme

Last week, SACEP under the PLEASE project convened over 40 key stakeholders in Thimphu for a National Consultation on Riverine Litter - a session that laid bare a critical reality for Bhutan.

While Bhutan remains a landlocked nation, its rivers act as "highways" for plastic waste, ultimately impacting the Brahmaputra and Ganges basins and the global oceans beyond.

The consultation focused on key strategic areas including institutional alignment to strengthen the coordination and collaboration between private and public sectors, moving beyond infrastructure to address behavioral lapses that lead to improper segregation and disposal, and utilizing the updated National Waste Inventory to guide evidence-based mitigation under the PLEASE Project.

SACEP is grateful for the Department of Environment and Climate Change of the Royal Government of Bhutan for their cooperation in turning these dialogues into actionable pathways.

The community-level consultation on riverine litter action in Bhutan was held yesterday at the Ariya Hotel in Thimphu, bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders. Participants included the Thimphu District Chief Environment Officer, representatives from local waste management companies, international development agencies, leaders from educational institutions, and youth activist groups.

The collaboration between youth leaders and local government officials proved highly productive. By sharing observations and challenges from their respective perspectives, participants were able to collectively identify practical solutions aimed at promoting a cleaner, greener Bhutan.

As the world’s only carbon-negative country, Bhutan faces distinct riverine litter challenges. With limited tourism activity, infrastructure facites, and its landlocked position between India and China, addressing riverine pollution requires context-specific approaches that reflect the country’s unique environmental, geographic, and socio-economic conditions.

This week, SACEP Director General Mr Norbu Wangchuk met with Mr Dammika Patabendi, honorable Minister of Environment of Sri Lanka, and Mr Anton Jayakody, honorable deputy Minister of Environment to discuss the critical environmental challenges facing South Asia’s coastal cities, including climate vulnerability, biodiversity loss, and growing environmental pollution.

The discussion underscored the importance of maintaining strong and constructive engagement with Ministries of Environment across the region to strengthen regional collaboration through SACEP. Such collaboration is essential to align national priorities, foster regional cooperation, and advance coordinated responses to shared coastal and environmental challenges. Through continued dialogue and partnership, SACEP remains committed to supporting collective action that strengthens resilience and environmental governance across South Asia.

Environment Minister and SACEP Director discuss regional initiative aimed at urban environmental resilience - DailyNews The Minister of Environment, Dr. Dammika Patabendi, and Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody met today with Norbu Wangchuk, Director General of the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP), to discuss a…

Strengthening South Asia’s environmental future starts with strong partnerships 🤝

The newly signed MoU between UNOPS Sri Lanka and SACEP brings together regional expertise and global technical capacity to accelerate action on sustainable infrastructure, integrated waste management, and climate resilience. Looking forward to the impactful initiatives that will follow.