Dharamshala: More than 20 distinguished international donor organisations that have provided and continue to provide funding for the Central Tibetan Administration have gathered in Dharamshala on Thursday for a two-day CTA Donor Conference to deliberate on securing Tibet’s future and partnering for progress.

This is the second donor conference convened by the CTA. The first such meeting was held during the 12th cabinet under the executive leadership of Kalon Tripa Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche. This conference is premised on CTA’s objective to foster a meaningful engagement between them and its donors while simultaneously focusing on sharing CTA’s vision with the donors and understanding the latter’s objectives and commitments to support CTA’s initiatives. Through this conference, the CTA aims to serve as a platform for donors who share a common interest in supporting Tibetans to build strong partnerships and strategies for collective efforts to empower the Tibetan movement.

Sikyong Penpa Tsering alongside cabinet ministers comprising Education Kalon Tharlam Dolma Changra, Security Kalon Dolma Gyari, Information and International Relations Kalon Norzin Dolma and Secretaries of the CTA departments presided over the inaugural session held this morning.

Sikyong presented the current and the 16th Kashag’s Vision Paper released in April this year. He explained the three premises on which the vision was devised which he noted were Equitable Justice, Cooperative Effort and Moving Forward. The document is based on the commitment reiterated by the current administration since coming into office.  The document, Sikyong said, will serve impetus to the path forward in seeking a peaceful resolution of the Sino-Tibet conflict whilst fulfilling the needs of the Tibetan community in exile which are the principal twin missions of the 16th Kashag. Sikyong highlighted the compositions and sub-sections of the document pertaining to the significance of ‘Why Tibet Matters’. He talked about the geo-political and socio-economic-cultural significance of Tibet to reiterate why the resolution of the Sino-Tibet conflict was important not just for Tibetans but for bringing about geo-political stability to India and South Asian countries. And until such a resolution is not attained, Sikyong said CTA was committed to reaching out to the international community for their support. The democratically elected leader of Tibetans in exile 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.

Following Sikyong’s keynote address, Tenzin Norsang of Social and Resource Development Fund (SARD), gave a presentation on CTA’s initiatives and funding challenges that will be extensively discussed and deliberated over the course of two-day conference.