Paro Forum 2027

Climate Adaptation and a Just Transition

Bridging Knowledge to a Pathway Forward

As Bhutan advances its climate adaptation agenda, it is important to acknowledge that adaptation measures, development initiatives, and support mechanisms may not benefit all citizens equally. While climate adaptation seeks to enhance resilience to climate impacts, the distribution of its benefits and burdens may vary significantly across different regions and communities. 

Climate change affects people, communities and countries unevenly. Vulnerable populations, including rural households, low-income groups, women, indigenous peoples, and those countries dependent on climate-sensitive livelihoods, often bear the greatest impacts despite contributing the least to greenhouse gas emissions. Similarly, climate mitigation and adaptation measures can generate unequal outcomes if they fail to consider existing social and economic disparities. Beyond human communities, this climate inequity extends to diverse species of flora and fauna facing habitat disruption, as well as future generations who must inherit the consequences of today’s actions without a say in current policies. 

A just transition seeks to maximize the benefits of climate action while minimizing adverse impacts on affected communities. It emphasizes inclusive decision-making, equitable access to opportunities, social protection measures, and support for those most vulnerable to climate-related change. In the context of adaptation, this means ensuring that investments, technologies, and resilience-building initiatives reach marginalized communities and do not inadvertently reinforce existing inequalities or create new ones. 

The Forum aims to take stock of the current state of knowledge, policy, and practice on climate adaptation and just transition, nationally and internationally.  The Forum will strive to break down institutional and disciplinary silos by convening actors who rarely share a table such as researchers, practitioners, policymakers, social scientists, system designers, community representatives and international experts. Participants will explore the linkages between adaptation, just transition, and poverty alleviation, positioning climate action as a development opportunity and a way of life rather than only a cost. Through this work it is hoped that a network of like-minded individuals and agencies will be created in order to promote future conversation, collaboration and execution of a just transition path. Ultimately, it is hoped that the event will generate actionable recommendations that can feed into Bhutan’s legal framework for Just Transition.

The Forum will take place from 22-24 February 2027 to coincide with the Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, and the Foundation Day of the Law School. The Forum will bring together participants from government agencies, non-governmental organizations, national and international policy or decision-making bodies, civil society organizations, the private sector, youths, and interdisciplinary climate and environmental experts.

The Inaugural Forum will have eleven (11) sessions stretched over three (3) days. These sessions will have total of 39 experts speaking and discussing on various topics relating to climate change facilitated by enthusiastic and expert moderators.