Promoting Peace & Reconciliation in Bhutan
February 21, 2024
6:00 - 7:00 pm
Online at wacnh.org
Bhutan likes to promote itself as the happiest place on earth, as measured by their happiness index. However, for tens of thousands of people, this is not the Bhutan they know, or are welcome in. Here in New Hampshire many of these people were resettled in our community and continue to thrive here, enhancing the cultural and economic life of the state.
For many in New Hampshire, the knowledge of this small kingdom in the Himalayas remains limited, despite the opportunities to meet the many people forcibly displaced from their homes, where their families had lived for generations. In addition, this country is strategically located between two historic antagonists, India and China, which puts their country in a precarious situation (i.e. China is laying claim to 20% of Bhutan's land).
Join the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire, the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg, the Cleveland Council on World Affairs, the Columbus Council on World Affairs, Building Community in New Hampshire, and the Global Citizen Circle for this engaging virtual discussion on Building Peace & Reconciliation in Bhutan.
You will hear from two wonderful community leaders, Suraj Budathoki of NH and Khara Timsina of Pittsburgh, to hear about efforts to restore family ties, engage with the Bhutanese government to undue past harms, and learn more about the challenges this country and its displaced populations face in a difficult world.
This program is free and open to the public. We encourage you to register in advance for this session, which will be hosted via a YouTube livestream.
About the Speakers
Suraj Budathoki is a doctoral student at Saybrook University, California, exploring approaches to transform societies in conflict into harmonious and peaceful communities. He has a BA in Political Science from Southern New Hampshire University and MA in International Relations from Norwich University. In 2022, he co-founded the nonprofit Peace Initiative Bhutan, fostering positive peace and reconciliation in Bhutan and its diaspora. He aims to spend his life in peacebuilding work.
Mr. Khara Timsina is the Executive Director of the Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh (BCAP). He was born in Bhutan, lived in a refugee camp in Nepal for nearly two decades and came to the US in 2009. He cofounded BCAP in 2012. He served on Racial Equity Subcommittee on COVID Vaccination of Governor Tom Wolf’s Office of Advocacy & Reform and served as a Co-Chair of the Allegheny County’s DHS Immigrants and Internationals Advisory Council for three years.
Mr. Timsina was one among the eight refugee leaders nationwide recognized by the Obama Administration at the White House in Washington DC in 2017 for his contribution on making US more welcoming by serving his fellow refugees in western Pennsylvania. He was awarded Advancing PA Forward Award by Governor Tom Wolf and Best Community Service Award by Global Bhutanese Organization in 2022. He also appeared on The Power of Diversity 2023: AAPI 100 List. This past January he was one among others to receive Righteous Among the Neighbors Award from The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh and Light Education Initiative.
He actively engages with local municipalities in the Pittsburgh area advocating for and educating his community. Outside his regular work at the community organization, he co-runs Nepali Interpretation and Translation (NIT Inc) business catering to the translation and interpretation needs of the institution in Pittsburgh.
He lives with his wife and two children in Pittsburgh.
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