Sonam served for 31 years in the Ministry of Economic Affairs before presiding as the Secretary of the National Environment Commission Secretariat where he chaired the LDC Group of negotiators in the UNFCCC climate negotiations from 2019 – 2022. Sonam was also the National Focal Point for the UNFCCC and UNEP from 2018 – 2022. With a background in commerce, Sonam has extensive experience in negotiations and was the deputy chief negotiator for Bhutan in WTO negotiations from 2005 to 2012.
He has graduated magna cum laude with a Master of International Law and Economics from the World Trade Institute, University of Bern, and holds a Bachelor of Commerce with honours from the University of Delhi.