Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel at the concluding session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament’s first session, 12 October 2021. Photo/Tenzin Phende/CTA

Dharamshala: The first session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile held from 11 – 12 October concluded today after two days of discussion and deliberations on the political and human rights situation inside Tibet, and proposals for amendments to the Tibetan charter on the rules and regulation concerning the nomination of Chief Justice Commissioner and justice commissioners.

The main outcomes of the two-day session were the approval of three women as Kalons of the 16th Kashag as nominated by Sikyong Penpa Tsering, and the passage of eight official resolutions of obituary and mourning, and one official resolution of solidarity with the sufferings of the Tibetan people inside Tibet.

In his concluding remarks, Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel gave a brief overview of the proceedings of the two-day session. He expressed his gratitude to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for providing guidance to end the parliamentary stalemate, and also applauded the parliamentarians for taking active participation in the two-day proceedings despite differences of opinion.

Speaking on the importance of unity, he called for consolidation of the diverse efforts of the Kashag, Tibetan Parliament and the Tibet support groups across the world for better outcome and impact of the Tibetan freedom struggle. He also assured the Kashag led by Sikyong Penpa Tsering the full support and co-operation from the Tibetan Parliament in all its future activities, and also advised members of the Tibetan Parliament to offer their wholehearted support to the Kashag, as stated in the official resolution of the Tibetan parliament.

Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel announced that the next Tibetan Parliamentary session will be held in the near future which shall be made public after discussions with members of the Standing Committee. The Speaker also explained that the Tibetan Parliamentary secretariat will function as usual by organising the Parliamentary visitation programs, Tibet outreach programs, workshop on parliamentary proceedings for new MPs, and other such activities in the coming days.

Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel delivering the concluding remarks of the 17th Tibetan Parliament’s first session, 12 October 2021. Photo/Tenzin Phende/CTA