Dr. Pema Gyamtsho is the Director General of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). He is the first Director General from the Hindu Kush Himalaya region that ICIMOD serves since its establishment in 1983.

He served the Royal Government of Bhutan for over three decades in natural resources management and planning, rural development, agriculture, forestry, livestock and food production, rangeland management, participatory approaches, research and extension, institutional development, climate change and environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, and organic farming. He previously led ICIMOD’s work on policy and partnerships and regional rangeland management.

As Minister of Agriculture and Forests (2008–2013), he spearheaded Bhutan’s rural development programme and advanced its environmental agenda, including the country’s commitment to remain carbon neutral. He later served as a Member of the National Assembly of Bhutan (2013–2020).

Dr. Gyamtsho holds an MSc in Agriculture from Lincoln University, New Zealand, and a PhD in Natural Sciences from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich). In 2026 he was conferred an Honorary Doctorate by the TERI School of Advanced Studies in recognition of his contributions to sustainability, the environment, and public policy.