OOT Brussels Organises Preparatory Meeting for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th Birthday Celebrations

Dharamshala: On 17 November 2024, a meeting was held at the Office of Tibet in Brussels with eight Tibetan organisations in Belgium, including representatives from regional Chushi Gangdruk, U-Tsang Association, Domey Association, Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, Regional Tibetan Women’s Association, regional chapter of Central For Middle Way Initiative, Student for a Free Tibet, and V-TAG Belgium. The meeting discussed preparations for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday celebration in 2025.

Thinley Wangdue, Secretary of the Office of Tibet, presided over the meeting, offering guidance on organising the celebrations in Belgium. This followed the Kashag’s announcement designating 2025 as the “Year of Compassion” to commemorate His Holiness’ 90th birthday with worldwide celebrations. After that, the participants reviewed previous meeting decisions and exchanged views on various projects, selecting priority initiatives for implementation.

The meeting also included discussions on plans to formally announce His Holiness’ 90th Birthday Celebrations to the Belgian public during the event commemorating the Nobel Peace Prize conferment to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, as well as initiating fundraising activities. The details of the selected projects will be submitted to the Central Celebration Organising Committee, and discussions were held on the allocation of various events throughout the celebration year.

At the end, all attendees, led by the Brussels Representative, agreed to establish a Belgian Celebration Organising Committee with the eight organisations to execute the planned programs. This was the fourth meeting regarding the celebrations, with the first meeting held on 30 August, the second on 5 October, and the third on 27 October of this year, during which preliminary arrangements for the celebrations were made.

-Report filed by Office of Tibet, Brussels