Delhi: A five-day strategic meeting of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile began in Delhi on 7th August 2023. The meeting will be held till 11th August and will be attended by Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, Deputy Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang, and parliamentarians of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.

While speaking on the past strategic meetings and their objectives in the opening session, the Speaker highlighted the political status of China and that of Tibet, especially on the varying global policies towards China with its changing political dynamics. He spoke on ways to bring the international policies on Tibet into aiding the historical status of Tibet and in the resolution of the Sino-Tibetan conflict.

Speaking on the significance of Tibet to India, the Speaker reiterated that Tibet’s political status in future will have a direct impact on India.

He also delved into different ways of reaching out to different governments across the world and to international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), on ways to enhance the democratic procedures and practices of the Central Tibetan Administration and especially of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, and on strengthening the capacity of the MPs in fulfilling the responsibilities entrusted upon them.

 

The first day of the meeting had an interactive session with where they discussed India’s Tibet policy, on raising the issue of Sino-Tibetan conflict in Indian parliament, Sino-Indian relations, and on ways to elevate Tibet outreach campaigns.

The first day’s program also featured talks on ‘Resetting India’s Tibet Policy 2022’ by O.P. Tandon and Rebon Banerjee, Trustees of the Foundation for Non-Violent Alternatives (FNVA), New Delhi, and on ‘China’s 2021 White Paper on Tibet: Implications for India’s China Strategy’ by Dr. Manoj Joshi, Distinguished Fellow at Observer Research Foundation.

This is the third strategic meeting of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. The previous meetings were held in Haryana and Dharamshala respectively in September and November of 2022.

The strategic meeting is funded by USAID and NDI.