London: The London-based Office of Tibet (OoT), in partnership with Swedish Tibet Committee and Tibetan Community in Sweden, is convening a three-day meeting in Stockholm from 18 – 20 June 2023, inviting all its local Civil Society Organisations (CSO) partners on Tibet advocacy.
OoT-London relies on the regular support of six Tibetan Community organisations and eleven local Tibet Support Groups in its outreach region – covering 11 countries across the British Isles, Nordic and Baltic regions, and Poland. The office is proud of the close partnership shared with local CSOs and the achievements of these CSOs, despite the fact that most of them have been sustained for decades by a few dedicated volunteers with limited resources.
The meeting, with 25 participants confirmed, is to provide a platform to local voices and, through local ownership, strengthen local and cross-country relationships for future collaborations amongst the stakeholder groups and potentially draw out a coordinated regional voice that can enhance contribution to pan-Europe and global Tibetan freedom movement. Days one and two focus mainly on advocacy ending with a Tibet event at the Swedish Parliament on the 19th evening. Day three would focus on the capacity-building of the Tibetan Community groups in the OoT London constituency.
Sister offices in Brussels and Geneva will join forces by bringing their expert knowledge of advocacy at the EU and UN institutions, respectively and Tibetan experiences in the other European countries in their constituency. The Department of Information and International Relations, Central Tibetan Administration, has deputed a senior official to participate in this meeting.
Sweden was selected for hosting this meeting due to the current Swedish presidency of the Council of European Union, and to build on the inroads already made during the initial contacts with the new Swedish government and parliament since October 2022. The current Swedish parliament has a strong membership of MPs in the Tibet Friendship Group headed by MP Margareta Cederfelt, who will also lead a delegation of Swedish Parliamentarians to Dharamshala later this year. Strong cooperation of Tibet-related organisations locally provided an additional advantage.
-Report filed by Office of Tibet, London