Karma Dema Dorji

Karma Dema Dorji serves as the Programme Director of the National Soil Services Centre in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Bhutan. She is responsible for looking after the overall functioning of the Centre which is mandated to look into the sustainable aspects of soil and land management in order to contribute to the important priorities of the country i.e. to achieve food security and protection of the country’s pristine environment. As the National Focal Point for UNCCD, Ms. Dorji oversees the fulfillment of the Convention’s requirements by the Centre, which include the development of the National Action Program to combat land degradation and the National Reporting. She served as the Annex II Chair (2015-2017), as the first Science and Policy (SPI) Team Member (2014-2017), as the IWG-FSF member (2015-2017), as a COP13 Bureau member (2016-2019) and currently as CST Bureau member (since COP 14). She is also the National Focal Point for the Asian Soil Partnership/Global Soil Partnership. She serves as a GEF Steering Committee member in the country (Since 2018). Ms. Dorji holds a Ph.D. in Natural Resources (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg); a  Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) degree in Soil Sciences from the University of Reading, UK and a Bachelor’s degree (BSc. Hons.) in Agricultural Science from the University of Western Australia, Perth.