Governments need to anticipate and prepare for rapid changes in technology, climate, demographics and the global economy. This was discussed at the two-day Regional Dialogue on Future-Ready Governance in Thimphu, which brought together government officials and experts from seven Asian and Pacific countries to exchange experiences on building more adaptive and responsive governments.
Experts at the dialogue said governments need to look beyond immediate problems and anticipate challenges before they emerge. They discussed the importance of adapting institutions and improving public service delivery as circumstances change.
Caitlin Wiesen, Acting Resident Representative of UNDP, said the pace of change and the overlapping issues governments face mean many are not well prepared to deal with them.“Future-ready governance is important for Bhutan, and it’s important for all governments at this stage. We find that the rate and pace of change and the overlapping issues that come all at once mean that many governments are not well prepared to handle these,” she said.
She said while there have been major advances in poverty reduction and Asia has become an engine of growth, health crises such as COVID-19 have shown how events can have an influence beyond borders and require governments to rethink how they govern.
The discussions also looked at Bhutan’s approach to long-term, people-centred development through Gross National Happiness. The session explored how GNH can contribute to resilient development and how its principles are applied in policy and governance.
