Tokyo, Japan, 4 June 2025: The 9th World Parliamentarians’ Convention on Tibet (WPCT) concluded successfully with the unanimous adoption of three key documents: the Tokyo Declaration, the Tokyo Action Plan, and a Resolution Celebrating the Legacy of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on His 90th Birthday.

The second day of the convention focused on building global solidarity for Tibet, countering the Chinese government’s influence, and advancing coordinated legislative efforts. Session VIII, titled “Building Global Solidarity for Tibet and Countering China’s Influence”, featured prominent speakers including Wang Dai, Vice Chairman of the Federation for a Democratic China; Afumetto Retepu, Chairman of the Japan Uyghur Association; Olhonud Daichin, Vice Chairman of the Southern Mongolia Congress; Alric Lee, Co-Founder of Lady Liberty Hong Kong; and Lin Hsin Yi, a noted Taiwanese human rights activist. The session was chaired by Tibetan MP Tenzin Choezin and emphasized strengthening international alliances.

Session IX of the 9th World Parliamentarians’ Convention on Tibet (WPCT), titled “Pragmatic Solutions on Tibet: What World Parliaments Can Do,” was chaired by Els Van Hoof, Member of Parliament, Belgium. The session featured the speakers including Hannes Heide, Member of the European Parliament from Austria and Vice-President of the European Parliamentary Friendship Group for Tibet; Watanabe Shu, Member of the House of Representatives, Japan; and Deputy Vlado Mirosevic Verdugo, Member of the Chamber of Deputies, Chile. Together, they discussed actionable strategies for parliaments worldwide to support a peaceful and pragmatic resolution to the Tibetan issue.

Session X, titled “Resolve Tibet Act and the Path Forward”, was chaired by Simon O’Connor, former Member of Parliament (New Zealand) and former Co-Chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC). Speakers included Arif Virani, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada; Sujeet Kumar, Member of Parliament (India) and former Convener of the All-Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet (APIPFT); and Pavel Žáček, Chairman of the Security Committee and Member of the Chamber of Deputies (Czech Republic). This session was followed by working group discussions and in-depth deliberations.

The day also featured video messages from several prominent international leaders, including MP Vladimir Ledecky, former President Andrej Kiska, and MP Tomas Valasek from Slovakia; MP Nicolas Walder and MP Balthasar Glättli from Switzerland; Fan Yun and Chiu Chih-Wei, both Members of the Legislative Yuan in Taiwan; Ross Greer, Member of the Scottish Parliament; Salvador Caro Cabrera, former Deputy from Mexico; MP Ferenc Gelencser from Hungary; and Senator Dean Smith from Australia.

The convention culminated in the formal adoption of the three key resolutions by the Drafting Committee, led by Chair Professor Srikanth Kondapalli, Ph.D., Professor in Chinese Studies at the Centre for East Asian Studies and former Dean of the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi). Committee members included MPs Chris Law (UK), Dr. Katalin Cseh (Hungary), Vlado Mirosevic Verdugo (Chile), Sujeet Kumar (India), Tsering Yangchen (Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile), DIIR Secretary Karma Choeying, and Representative Dr. Arya Tsewang Gyalpo.

The closing ceremony featured a vote of thanks delivered by MP Yamada Hiroshi, General Secretary of the Japan Parliamentary Support Group for Tibet, and Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, Dolma Tsering Teykhang. A concluding press briefing by the organizers and the Chair of the Drafting Committee marked the official end of the convention.

Organized by the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, the WPCT continues its mission to strengthen and coordinate international parliamentary support for the Tibetan cause. Since the first convention held in New Delhi in 1994, WPCT sessions have taken place in Vilnius (1995), Washington D.C. (1997), Edinburgh (2005), Rome (2009), Ottawa (2012), Riga (2019), and Washington D.C. (2022).

The primary objectives of the WPCT are to galvanize global parliamentary advocacy for the survival of Tibetan identity and culture, raise concerns about human rights violations and religious repression in Tibet, and promote renewed dialogue between the representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the People’s Republic of China for a peaceful, negotiated resolution.