ADB Appoints New Country Director for Bhutan

THIMPHU, BHUTAN (29 October 2024) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has appointed Sonomi Tanaka as its new Country Director for Bhutan.

Ms. Tanaka will lead ADB’s operations in Bhutan and policy dialogue with the government, development partners, and other stakeholders. She will implement the newly approved country partnership strategy (CPS) 2024–2028 for Bhutan which aligns closely with the 13th Five-Year Plan of the government that aims to develop Bhutan into a sustainable and prosperous economy.

"I look forward to working closely with the government and the people of Bhutan to reinforce Bhutan’s development efforts by strengthening public sector management, enabling private sector development, building climate-adaptive and resilient infrastructure, and enhancing human capital development to increase youth employability," said Ms. Tanaka.

Ms. Tanaka has over 30 years of professional experience, including 25 years with the ADB. In 2020, she was appointed as Country Director of ADB’s Resident Mission in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, where she led the formulation of the CPS 2024-2028 and advanced critical policy reforms in collaboration with the World Bank and other partners to address macroeconomic challenges. She previously served as chief of the Gender Equity Thematic Group, responsible for overseeing and advising on ADB-wide operations to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment. Ms. Tanaka has worked extensively on gender and development, poverty reduction, social analysis, social protection, and community participation issues in Asia and the Pacific. Her sectoral expertise spans education, finance, health, infrastructure, natural resources management, public sector management, and urban development. Prior to joining ADB, she held roles in the World Bank’s South Asia Department and in development institutions in Japan.

Ms. Tanaka is a national of Japan and holds a master of arts in gender and development from the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex University and a post-graduate diploma in development studies from the Institute of Developing Economies Advanced School in Japan. She has a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the University of Tokyo.

Bhutan became a member of ADB in 1982. ADB has committed around $1.2 billion in loans, grants and technical assistance to the country, including cofinancing. ADB’s priority areas for support in Bhutan include energy, transport, urban infrastructure, water supply and sanitation, education, agriculture and natural resources, and finance. As of October 2024, ADB’s Bhutan portfolio includes 15 projects worth around $363 million.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 69 members—49 from the region.