TWA commences its 13th General Body Meeting
DHARAMSALA: 14 April: Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA) began its 13th General Body Meeting today at the TIPA here in the exile headquarters of the Tibetan people. Around 51 Tibetan women from the Central and Regional chapters of the TWA have gathered for the meeting to elect its new Executive members, discuss and lay down plans for its campaigns and projects for the coming years.
Dolma Yangchen, the President of TWA recalled the congregation on the founding goals of the organisation and urged not to deviate from it.
The aims of TWA’s include among others “to raise global awareness of the critical situation inside Tibet, and to exert international pressure for the improvement of human rights for Tibetans living in occupied Tibet, to promote the social, political, and economic equality of Tibetan women, in Tibet and in Tibetan exile communities and to address the drastic human rights abuses committed against Tibetan women in Tibet.”
She further announced that the TWA was able to resolve the issues surrounding the TWA’s New York and New Jersey(NYNJ) chapter’s 15th and 16th board members.
She further declared that the Central Executive members have unanimously set 9 May 2021 as the handling over day between the NYNJ chapter of the TWA’s 15th and the 16th board members.
Former Kalon(minister) Gyari Dolma attended the inaugural session of the TWA’s 13th General Body Meeting as the Chief Guest and spoke about the demerits of rigidity and the significance of proper communication as she took up the matters surrounding the NY/NJ and the Tibetan parliament and the justices of Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission.
She further recalled a piece of advice from His Holiness the Dalai Lama that encouraged “in-person meeting” rather than correspondence between the offices in the Gangchen Kyishong, the Central Tibetan Secretariat.
The Former Kalon further promised her help for the TWA with the FCRA which the TWA President said was rescinded in 2017.
TWA advisor and former Kalon Rinchen Khando, the special great for the occasion in her speech spoke about the significance of transparency while serving the community without any ulterior motives.
She further spoke about morality, the significance of studying the Tibetan language and Buddhism.
“As a Tibetan from any province can universally read and understand the Tibetan language, it will play a significant role in uniting the Tibetan people.”
TWA presented a special recognition award to its former Central Executive member Tsering Yangzom. The award citation recognised her services of translating and correcting all the TWA’s documents for its very campaign.
The organisation also presented awards to its members who have served the organization for over 12 years either as the Central Executive Committee of TWA or at its regional chapters.
General Body Meeting, held after every three years is the highest decision-making body of the TWA.
Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic that still continues to rage on, only 17 regional chapters of the TWA and its Central Executive members were able to attend the 13th General Body Meeting that is being held over 14-16 April. The organisation will elect its new executive members on the last day of the meeting.
The TWA chapters in attendance at the general meet are Bylakuppee, Kollegal, Ladakh, Mainpat, Mundgod, New York and New Jersey, Ravangla, Shimla, Tsopema, Bir, Dalhousie, Delhi, Dekyiling, Dharamsala, Gangtok, Hunsur and Kalimpong.
The organisation was founded on 12 March 1959, in Tibet when Tibetan women gathered together in their thousands to protest against the illegal occupation of their homeland in Lhasa after the Tibetan National Uprising. The organisation was then re-established on 10 September 1984 in exile. TWA now has 51 Regional Chapters and 17,000 members across the world.
