Lily Wangchuk or Lily Wangchhuk (born October 15, 1972) is a

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

ese politician, diplomat and activist. A diplomat between 1994 and 2008, in November 2012 she became the first Bhutanese woman to be appointed president of a political party.

Background and education

Wangchuk was born into a noble family. Her grandfather, Rinzin Dorji, served as the last Daga Penlop under the second King

Jigme Wangchuck Jigme Wangchuck (, ; 1905 – 30 March 1952) was the (Dzongkha འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་གཉིས་པ) 2nd Druk Gyalpo or king of Bhutan from 26 August 1926, until his death. He pursued legal and infrastructural reform during his ...

and third King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk. Her father died when she was very young and her mother left the family to become a nun. Wangchuk earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in Political Science at Miranda College in India. She earned a

Master of Public Policy The Master of Public Policy (MPP) is a graduate-level professional degree. It provides training in policy analysis and program evaluation at public policy schools. The MPP program places a focus on the systematic analysis of issues related to pu ...

in International Diplomacy at the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

, and a

Postgraduate diploma fILE:Prédio Pós Graduação IMECC Unicamp.jpg, The State University of Campinas, as well as many Brazilian universities, offer Postgraduate courses in Brazil A postgraduate diploma (PgD, PgDip, PGDip, PG Dip., PGD, Dipl. PGD) is a postgraduat ...

in Human Rights and International Law at the Indian Academy of International Law and Diplomacy.

Career

Wangchuk began work as a diplomat in 1994, and in 2003 she was a recipient of the Lions Club Award for Outstanding Diplomat for her work with Bhutanese bilateral relations with India. After a 12-year career as a diplomat, she took time off to travel across Bhutan, visiting all 20 districts and the remotest areas of the country, during which she observed the socioeconomic challenges facing common people and inequalities in development. Wangchuk once served as the executive director of the Bhutan Media Foundation (BMF) and head of the People's Democratic Party's women wing. Soon after leaving BMF to pursue a career as a politician, in October 2011 she was diagnosed with

endometrial cancer Endometrial cancer is a cancer that arises from the endometrium (the epithelium, lining of the uterus or womb). It is the result of the abnormal growth of cells (biology), cells that can invade or spread to other parts of the body. The first s ...

and overcame the disease in six months. In November 2012, Wangchuk became the first Bhutanese woman to be appointed president of a political party, Druk Chirwang Tshogpa, a party which was formally recognized in early 2013. She was a candidate for presidency during the 2013 elections, and represents North Thimphu Constituency. Wangchuk cites

Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi (born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and political activist. She was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. She served as State Counsellor of Myanmar and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Myanmar), Ministe ...

as an inspiration in her leadership. She ran for the seat of the

National Assembly of Bhutan The National Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Bhutan, and it's responsible for enacting laws, representing the people, and overseeing the government. It consists of 47 members elected from 47 constituencies across the ...

as a candidate of

Druk Phuensum Tshogpa Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (; Wylie:'' 'brug phun-sum tshog-pa''; translation: Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party; abbr. DPT) is one of the major political parties in Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country ...

(DPT) from North Thimphu constituency in the

2018 Bhutanese National Assembly election National Assembly elections were held in Bhutan in 2018; the first round was held on 15 September and the second round on 18 October. The ruling People's Democratic Party of former Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay came third in the first round of ...

, but was unsuccessful. She came in second, receiving 2,102 votes and losing the seat to Dechen Wangmo.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wangchuk, Lily 1972 births Living people Australian National University alumni Bhutanese women diplomats Bhutanese diplomats 20th-century diplomats 21st-century diplomats 21st-century women politicians Bhutanese women in politics Druk Phuensum Tshogpa politicians