Dharamshala: A delegation from the International Peace Research Association (IPRA) visited the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile on March 11, 2024. The delegation, including Professor Matt Meyer, Secretary-General of IPRA; Maria Theresa Munoz, Co-Secretary General (Argentina); Diana Marcela Agudelo-Ortiz, Executive Committee Member and Secretary-General of the Latin America Peace Research Council (Colombia); Elavie Ndura, Member of the Africa Peace Research and Education Association and Vice Chancellor (Burundi/USA); and Roy Tamashiro, Member of the Asia-Pacific Peace Research Association (USA), engaged in discussions with Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel and Deputy Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang on various issues of mutual interest.

During the meeting, the IPRA delegation provided an overview of their association, research programs, and their understanding of the Tibetan struggle. They expressed their satisfaction with the visit and the opportunity to meet the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker introduced the composition and functioning of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile while explaining the democratization of the Tibetan polity with His Holiness the Dalai Lama bestowing the gift of democracy upon the Tibetan people. She highlighted that His Holiness has provided reservation of women’s representation in the Tibetan parliament in early 1964, and went on to explain the unicameral nature and party-less system of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.

Emphasizing Tibet’s significance as the “roof of the world” and the “water tower of Asia,” Deputy Speaker Teykhang urged countries engaging with China to encourage responsible behavior and hold China accountable for human rights violations and environmental destruction in Tibet.

In conclusion, Deputy Speaker Teykhang underscored the importance of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) conducting scientific research on the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) policies exploiting Tibet’s natural resources and their impact on global climate change. She also called on the IPRA to conduct scientific research on the Tibetan plateau.

Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel expressed his joy at connecting with the delegation and commended the work of IPRA as addressing one of the world’s paramount needs.

The delegation members expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to be at the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, learning about its details, and extended their solidarity with the Tibetan cause, assuring their support.