The Hon’ble new Head of Delegation of the Country Cluster Delegation for South Asia, based in New Delhi, Mr. John Entwistle paid his courtesy calls on to the Royal Government of Bhutan upon his courtesy call on His Excellency the Ambassador of Bhutan to India in New Delhi.

During his visit, Hon’ble HoD joined the Bhutan Red Cross Society (BRCS) in celebrating its 8th Foundation Day, which also marked the launch of Red Cross Clubs in colleges. He also paid courtesy calls on Hon’ble Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay, Hon’ble Home Minister, and Hon’ble Foreign Minister. Additionally, he met with the newly appointed Director General of the Department of Local Governance and Disaster Management (DLGDM).

As part of the Bhutan Red Cross’s auxiliary role to the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB), Bhutan Red Cross continues to uphold its Geneva Convention obligations of the RGoB and mandate under the National Law-BRCS Act 2016 by complementing national disaster preparedness and response efforts. In these high-level meetings, the Head of Delegation emphasized the strategic priority of supporting the establishment of the Emergency Operation Centre (EoC) and a Training Centre—an ongoing BRCS initiative since 2021 that aligns closely with Bhutan’s national disaster preparedness agenda.

Upon directives and guidances from H.E the Prime Minister, the first registered volunteer (BRCS/V/0001) of Bhutan Red Cross highlighted the importance of Bhutan Red Cross to prepare for a large scale disaster given its wide network internationally and its community reach extensively. Discussions also touched on the national contingency plan for a large-scale earthquake and the potential for technical support from the broader IFRC network.

This visit further deepened collaboration between Bhutan Red Cross and DLGDM, reinforcing a shared commitment to building national resilience enforcing the commitment being part of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) with the guidance from the Bhutan Red Cross’s Incident Commander hon’ble Chamberlain to His Majesty (Dasho Gyalpoi Zimpon)-His Majesty’s Secretariat.

As an immediate outcome, BRCS, with support from the IFRC Regional Office in Kuala Lumpur, has established a Satellite Telecommunication System to enhance emergency communications, an essential step toward improving national disaster response capabilities.