Key insights

• 🏔️ 🏔️ Bhutan prioritizes happiness in its Constitution, promoting a unique approach to national well-being over economic metrics.
• 👥 👥 Young people are leaving Bhutan in search of better job opportunities abroad, highlighting a demographic challenge for the nation.
• 🏙️ 🏙️ The king is developing Galifu Mindfulness City, blending ancient wisdom with modern design to create a sustainable urban environment.
• 🌟 🌟 Bhutan's Gross National Happiness (GNH) model focuses on holistic development, emphasizing community, culture, and environmental preservation.
• 🌻 🌻 Challenges such as economic issues and emigration among educated youth are impacting Bhutan's unique balance of tradition and growth.
• 🚧 🚧 An innovative airport design incorporates nature and local materials, exemplifying Bhutan's focus on mindfulness and environmental harmony.
• 🌾 🌾 Galifu City limits building heights and integrates flood mitigation solutions like paddy fields, emphasizing sustainability.
• 🌍 🌍 Bhutan aims to enhance its Gross National Happiness through significant infrastructure projects, fostering global collaboration for skills improvement.

Q&A

• What are Bhutan's future infrastructure plans? 🚧

  Over the next 10 years, Bhutan aims to enhance its gross national happiness through significant infrastructure projects. These initiatives will focus on quality, global collaboration, and addressing local skill shortages by learning from global best practices, marking a new chapter in Bhutan's development journey.

• What environmental initiatives does Bhutan have? 🌱

  Bhutan generates 99% of its energy from hydropower, making it carbon negative. It mandates that at least 60% of its land must remain forested, and in the Galifu project, building heights are limited to six stories to promote sustainability. Innovative solutions like patty fields help mitigate flooding and absorb rainfall.

• How is Bhutan's airport designed? ✈️

  Bhutan's airport is designed to blend harmoniously with the natural environment, using locally sourced materials and incorporating colorful, modular structures. The design emphasizes mindfulness and includes a unique hydroelectric dam alongside a temple, showcasing the country's dedication to sustainability and community involvement.

• What is the Galifu Mindfulness City (GMC)? 🏞️

  The Galifu Mindfulness City is an innovative project set to launch in December 2023. It aims to combine tradition with modernity by creating a sustainable economic model that focuses on community connections and innovative designs, such as interconnected towns and culturally significant bridges.

• Why are young people leaving Bhutan? 🌏

  Many educated young people in Bhutan are leaving the country in search of better job opportunities and a more modern lifestyle. This trend poses challenges for Bhutan as it seeks to retain its youth while promoting its unique values.

• What is Bhutan's unique approach to measuring progress? 🌸

  Bhutan prioritizes Gross National Happiness (GNH) over Gross Domestic Product (GDP). GNH is a holistic approach to development that emphasizes well-being, environmental preservation, and cultural values, focusing on the happiness of its citizens rather than merely economic growth.

• 00:00 Bhutan, a unique country prioritizing happiness and spiritual values, faces an exodus of young people seeking better opportunities abroad. In response, the king is planning a mindful city that merges tradition with modernity to retain its youth. 🌄
• 02:22 Bhutan prioritizes Gross National Happiness (GNH) over GDP, focusing on well-being, environmental preservation, and cultural values. Despite its unique model promoting a balanced life, demographic and economic challenges are leading to emigration among its educated youth. 🌸
• 04:50 Bhutan is launching the Galifu Mindfulness City (GMC) in December 2023, aiming to foster a unique, sustainable economic model without skyscrapers, focusing on community and connection through innovative bridges. 🏞️
• 07:09 The airport in Bhutan is designed to integrate harmoniously with nature, featuring colorful locally sourced materials and modular structures. It emphasizes mindfulness and community involvement, reflecting the country's values while also incorporating an innovative hydroelectric dam with a temple.
• 09:37 Bhutan, known for its strong environmental commitments, generates 99% of its energy from hydro power. The city of Galifu emphasizes sustainability by limiting building heights to six stories and utilizing natural solutions like patty fields to mitigate flooding. 🌱
• 11:47 Bhutan aims to enhance gross national happiness through significant infrastructure projects over the next 10 years, seeking global collaboration to improve local skills. 🌍