To commemorate the 6th Royal Wedding Anniversary, forty seven Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) came together to host the third Civil Society Fair in the capital today.
Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay graced the opening of the two-day fair. With the theme “Celebrating Civil Society”, the fair showcases the contributions that civil society organizations in the country make to the Bhutanese society.
It also aims to highlight the needs of CSOs and generate public interest in supporting their work. The fair provides a platform and opportunities to promote networking and collaboration to strengthen their positive social impact.
“Many people really do not understand what a civil society is,” said Siok Sian Pek Dorji, a Board Member of CSO Authority.
“Some people think larger CSOs are part of government. Basically, CSO represents the ability of people to serve the needs in different areas. This fair will showcase our work. In doing so, we hope people in Bhutan will get to understand civil society. We already have lot of volunteers and we can do a lot more with support from the Bhutanese society.”
The CSO fair, this year, included a nationwide photography competition on the theme #ourgyenkhu. The theme was to allow people to contemplate on what it means to be a responsible citizen.
The competition received more than 800 entries. Three best photographers were awarded cash prizes and the 20 best pictures were exhibited at the fair.
Today, there are 49 registered CSOs in the country. The first CSO fair was held in 2013, coinciding with the Royal Wedding Anniversary.
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