Notification

As part of the Civil Service Reform undertaken by the Royal Civil Service Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is being restructured to make it fit for purpose and responsive to contemporary national needs. The following changes will take effect on 2^nd October 2022:

1. A new Department of Economic and Tech Diplomacy is created to recentre the Ministry’s role in advancing the pursuit of Bhutan’s economic interests abroad in the areas of foreign trade, investment and other forms of economically beneficial activities including in the field of science and technology. The Department will have two Divisions:
   1. 1. Economic Diplomacy Division
      2. Tech Diplomacy Division
2. The Department of Regional Cooperation is merged with the Department of Multilateral Affairs to enable the Ministry to take a coordinated and integrated approach to international and regional issues of interest to Bhutan. The Department will have three Divisions:
   1. 1. Social and Development Division
      2. Political and International Security Division
      3. Regional Cooperation Division
3. The Department of Protocol is renamed as the Department of Protocol and Consular Affairs to reflect the growing salience of consular work with an increasing number of Bhutanese nationals who are residing or traveling abroad, in addition to traditional protocol services. This is aimed to make the Ministry’s public service delivery more efficient and effective in protecting the rights and interests of Bhutanese citizens abroad. The Department will have two Divisions:
   1. 1. Protocol Affairs Division
      2. Consular Affairs Division
4. The Department of Bilateral Affairs which is mandated to manage Bhutan’s bilateral relations with all countries, will continue to function through the existing three Divisions:
   1. 1. Asia and Pacific Division
      2. South Asia Division is renamed as South Asia and Middle East Division
      3. Europe, Africa and Americas Division
5. The Public Diplomacy Division under the Secretariat is renamed as Planning and Public Diplomacy Division.