Dharamshala, India — Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) organised a CTA Donor Conference on Thursday. More than 20 renowned international donor organisations that have funded and continue to fund the Central Tibetan Administration met in Dharamshala to discuss securing Tibet's future and the partnership for progress.
Central Tibetan Administration organised a two-day conference of CTA donor from August 31 to September 1, 2023, at Gangkyi hall, CTA, Dharamshala, H.P, India. Presidents, directors and representatives of CTA’s international donor organisations including USAID, Tibet Fund, Tibet House Trust, Tras-Himalayan Aid Society, US Department of State, HelpAge Canada, Free Tibet Intalia and many other donor organisations attended the conference.
Sikyong Penpa Tsering of the CTA and the cabinet ministers, including Kalon (minister) Tharlam Dolma Changra of the Department of Education, Kalon Dolma Gyari of the Department of Security, Kalon Norzin Dolma of the Department of Information and International Relations, as well as the secretaries of the CTA departments, chaired the inaugural session of the conference.
Sikyong presented the current vision document for the 16th Kashag, published in April, 2023. He explained the three premises on which the vision has been developed, namely Equitable Justice, Cooperative Effort and Moving Forward. The document is based on the commitment reiterated by the current administration since it took office.
Sikyong said that the document would serve as an impetus to move forward in the search for a peaceful resolution to the Sino-Tibetan conflict while addressing the needs of the Tibetan community in exile, which are the main twin missions of the 16th Kashag. Sikyong highlighted the compositions and subsections of the document relating to the significance of "Why Tibet Matters". He also spoke of Tibet's geopolitical, socio-economic and cultural importance, recalling why resolving the Sino-Tibetan conflict was important not only for Tibetans, but also for bringing geopolitical stability to India and the countries of South Asia.
Sikyong said that, until such a resolution is not attained, CTA was committed to reaching out to the international community for their support. He also reiterated the absolute firmness in its policy of the Middle Way Approach and stated that the lawmakers and governments who support this political stand of the CTA should first recognise the independent status of Tibet. In his concluding remarks, Sikyong thanked the donors for their help and partnerships in building the resilience and self-reliance of the Tibetan diasporic community.
This is the second donor conference organised by the CTA. The first such meeting was held during the 12th Cabinet, under the leadership of Kalon Tripa Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche. The conference is based on CTA's objective of fostering meaningful engagement between CTA and its donors, while focusing on sharing CTA's vision with donors and understanding donors' objectives and commitments to support CTA's initiatives. Through this conference, CTA hopes to provide a platform for donors who share a common interest in supporting Tibetans to build strong partnerships and strategies for collective efforts to strengthen the Tibetan movement.
