Gurgaon, 22 July: A five-day training in International Diplomacy and Advocacy to a select staff of CTA that began on Monday successfully concluded today at Heritage Village, Manesar, Gurgaon.

About 35 participants, representing the Offices of Tibet, staff of the Department of Information and International Relations and other departments of CTA, took part in the training.

The five-day training extensively covered some vital topics including India’s role in Sino-Tibetan issue, United Nations, Chinese outreach diplomacy, Tibet’s role in Sino-Indian security and relations vis-à-vis Tibet to explore the ‘tricks and trade’ of international diplomacy and advocacy in the face of China’s growing economic and political leverage in international politics.

Dr Shashi Tharoor, former Foreign Secretary Lalit Mansingh, Nirupama Rao, Shyam Saran and Shivshankar Menon are among the prominent Indian political figures who shared their expertise in international diplomacy in general and in China dealing in particular with respect to the Tibetan issue.

Mr Thupten Samphel, Director of Tibet Policy Institute, Former Kalons Tashi Wangdi, Dongchung Ngodup and Tempa Tsering, Information Secretary Tashi Phuntsok and International Relations Secretary Sonam Norbu Dagpo are Tibetan resource persons for the training and covered topics such as China’s interpretation of ancient Tibetan history, Tibet in UN and EU, Relations between Tibetans in Tibet and CTA, 17-point agreement, Indo-Tibetan relations, CTA’s presence in South Africa, and Core responsibilities of Office of Tibet.

The training also covered media management strategy, Introduction to Buddhism, CTA’s fiscal efficiency and budgetary management and the resource persons include Indian media personalities Mr Karma Paljor and Ms Indrani Bagchi, Ven Dorje Damdul, Director of Delhi-based Tibet House and Mr Kelsang Lhundup, senior accountant of Department of Information and International Relations.

The interactive sessions that followed the presentation by the resource speakers widely reflected concerns pertaining to mobilizing and winning international opinion in favor of ‘Tibetan narratives’ against China’s aggressive propaganda on its Tibet policy in various international forums.

Underscoring the significance and timely relevance of the training, Ms Tsering Tsomo who is soon expected to be posted as a staff in one of the Offices of Tibet said, the training is highly “empowering” in that it helped her understand different diplomacy practices through the talks of Indian and Tibetan experts in international diplomacy and hoped the knowledge will come handy when she starts her job.

The Department of Information and International Relations earlier organised a similar training in Washington DC in 2015 with special focus on diplomacy practices in United Nation and other international organizations. The current training is specially designed in keeping with the dynamics of international diplomacy vis-à-vis Tibet’s standing in the current international political landscape.

-Report filed by Tenzin Wangchuk and Lobsang Jigme-