ITN concludes 5th Asia Regional Meeting
DHARAMSALA, Nov 12: The 5th Asia Regional Meeting of International Tibet Network (ITN) concluded on Nov 11 here in Dharamsala.
More than 50 participants representing 14 organizations from 10 countries participated in the three-day meeting held over Nov 9-11 to enhance coordination between various Tibet support groups and plan future campaigns.
The political head of the Tibetan people Sikyong Lobsang Sangay and Kalong for Department of Information and International Relations, Dicki Chhoyang attended the opening day of the event.
While addressing the gathering, Sikyong Sangay outlined promotion of democracy, the Middle Way Policy and Tibet’s environment as the three areas the Central Tibetan Administration requests Tibet groups to support.
Sikyong Sangay also launched ITN’s ‘Tactical Report on The Tibet movement’ consisting of findings and recommendations of Tactics Task Force to make campaigns more intelligent, powerful and effective.
After three days of workshops, trainings and discussions, the participants, through a secret ballot, selected three campaigns to be implemented by Asia Tibet Groups with the support of the Network Secretariat. These were:
Tibet Advocacy Week in Delhi in July 2016, a campaign that will involve strong collaboration between Tibetan NGOs and Indian Tibet Groups, with plans to meet with influential Indian Parliamentarians to emphasise that action on Tibet serves India’s interests, and press for a resolution.
Tibet: Third Pole, a campaign to build public and political support in India and other 9 downstream countries for urgent action to protect Tibet’s environment.
Free Tibetan Heroes, a campaign to draw attention to former political prisoners and a proposal for a ‘Heroes Day’ to be observed in the annual Tibetan calendar.
One of the participants and a longtime Tibet supporter, Mr Vijay Kranti of the Core Group for the Tibetan Cause said the three-day event generated new hopes about a positive future for the Tibetan people and likened it to recharging one’s battery.
“Being part of International Tibet Network’s conference was once again very reassuring and meaningful. Exchanging notes with fellow Tibet supporters from across the globe is like recharging one’s battery. It generated new hopes about a positive future for the people of occupied Tibet,” Mr Kranti said.
Nyima Lhamo, ITN’s Asia Regional Coordinator expressed confidence that the Tibetan movement in Asia will be more effective as a result of meeting.
“Each participant has left this meeting having made their own personal commitment to contribute towards better collaboration. With robust campaign plans and stronger personal relationships between Groups, we are confident that our movement in Asia will be more effective as a result of this meeting,” Nyima said.
Similar meetings are organized by the International Tibet Network every 18 months in Asia, Europe and North America in order to build capacity and collaboration among the Tibet groups.
Established in 2000, the International Tibet Network is a global coalition of Tibet-related non-governmental organizations. Its purpose is to maximize the effectiveness of the worldwide Tibet movement.
