Dharuhera, Haryana: A five-day brainstorming and strategic meeting organized by the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile from 19th September 2022 to 23rd September 2022 concluded today with parliamentarians embedded with refreshed spirit to direct their collective effort toward the common cause of Tibet.
In the presence of Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, Deputy Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang, and parliamentarians of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, a brief closing event was held today wherein the Deputy Speaker extended her appreciation to the participating parliamentarians for their valuable contribution in making this meeting a successful one especially with MPs’ high-spirited participation during the meeting.
Being representative of people, the Deputy Speaker stressed that the parliamentarians have an additional responsibility of bringing positive changes in the community particularly in bringing unity among Tibetans.
Hoping that the insights provided by the guest speakers were helpful, she further said, “In a functioning democracy, there will be a difference in opinion but we will have to rise above these petty issues and bring our collective effort for the common cause of Tibet,” and she urged all parliamentarians to do their level best.
Finally, on behalf of the Speaker and her, the Deputy Speaker assured looking into the suggestions of parliamentarians on the agenda of future meetings and programs of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.
Parliamentarians took active participation in raising questions and sharing their opinions during the interactive session with scholars and they were exuberant to deliberate on the need of new and creative approaches to counter the challenges faced by the community, especially in furthering the Tibetan movement into the right direction.
Series of brainstorming sessions were held wherein parliamentarians put heads together on dealing with the false narratives of China and on ways to bring the needed possible changes in the overall functioning of the Tibetan parliament, as well as its future course of action in the coming four years.
Also, during the meeting, environmental factors were specifically emphasized considering the importance of the Tibetan plateau with its ecological imbalance created by China impacting the global climate at large.
Likewise, they deliberated extensively on carrying forward Tibet advocacy and Tibet outreach programs in India and abroad and on the usage of media to connect with people from far flung corners of the world and to disseminate information on Tibet and Tibet related issues to all the diverse communities around the globe.
This meeting had the presence of prominent personalities like Hon. Margaret Curran, former Scottish MP from the United Kingdom; Professor Srikanth Kondapalli, Dean of School of International Studies and a Professor of China studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU); and Mr. Shivshankar Menon, Indian diplomat and former national security advisor to PM Manmohan Singh.
Dr. Rajeshwari Pillai Rajagopalan, Director of Centre for Security, Strategy & Technology (CSST) of Observer Research Foundation; Dr. Jabin Thomas Jacob, Associate Professor of the Department of International Relations and Governance; Prof. Milap Chand Sharma, Professor of Geomorphology Centre for the Study of Regional Development of Jawaharlal Nehru University and Ms. Indrani Bagchi, CEO of Ananta Aspen Centre and Foreign Policy Commenter were also present there to share their valuable knowledge.
Parliamentarians were briefed on strategic planning, international advocacy, communications strategy, China’s policy on Tibet, Asia and especially India’s role in Tibet’s issue, Tibet factor in ASEAN countries relationship, implications of Chinese military strategy for Tibet, India, and for the world at large, relevance of Tibet in international relations, geopolitical issues on climate change, and importance of media on Tibetan issues.
The five-day brainstorming and strategy meeting held from 19th September 2022 to 23rd September 2022 concluded successfully with parliamentarians applauding the agendas of the meeting and urging the Speakers to organize similar meetings in the near future.
