The Colombo Plan was the first international organisation that Bhutan joined. It became a member in 1962, and although there were economic benefits from the membership, the impact was more political in nature, in that Bhutan gained recognition as a Sovereign Nation from the international community. As a result of joining the Colombo Plan, Bhutan received financial and technical resources for its development activities. Small aid inputs flowed into the country from Australia, Great Britain, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore and Japan through the Colombo Plan.

In 1969, Bhutan joined the Universal Postal Union, the second international organisation that it became a member. This further acted as a window to the international community for Bhutan, in search for international recognition as an independent political entity. However, the entry into the United Nations in 1971 was by far, the Bhutanese dream come true in terms of establishing itself as sovereign nation to the rest of the world.

Bhutan joined the Non Aligned Movement(NAM) in 1973 and has been non-aligned in the strictest sense, as Bhutan has not had formal relations with either the Soviet Union or the United States.

In 1982, Bhutan also joined the Group of 77 (G77), an organisation of third-world countries.

As of now there are 54 international agencies are operating in Bhutan in development projects, although many of them come under the jurisdiction of the UN. Many of them aid Bhutan financially, such as the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF in Bhutan), and Save the Children to name a few. The World Bank is currently involved in an Education project,an Urban Development Project and in helping to structure the fiscal and monetary policies in Bhutan.