Social Leaders and Business Entrepreneurs joined in dialogue with His Holiness

Wednesday, 13 September 2006, 2:00 p.m.

Vancouver: The last event of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s three-day visit in Vancouver was dialogue with CEOs and social entrepreneurs on connecting for change. This dialogue aims to bring together people from different backgrounds to share their thoughts on their social responsibilities and to work together for a positive change.

It was also attended by the former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell and Mayor of Vancouver. In each session, a panel representing different sectors made a brief remark and addressed questions to His Holiness. The discussion was then opened to the floor and other participants made comments and addressed questions to His Holiness.

During the session a wide range of questions were addressed to His Holiness in a very lively and interactive format. Some of the participants remarked privately that it would be impossible to bring together people from such various backgrounds and this gathering became possible because of His Holiness.

His Holiness met with Mr and Mrs Morgan, Canadian Advisor of the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education and with the Trustee of the Center before lunch.

The Indian Consul General in Vancouver Mr. Ashok Kumar called on His Holiness in the morning on the same day.

The lunch was hosted jointly by the British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell and Simon Fraser, University President Michael Stevenson. The lunch was attended by political leaders, CEOs, academicians and other public figures including former Prime Minister and Mayor of Vancouver. Both President Stevenson and Premier Gordon Campbell thanked His Holiness for his moral leadership and hoped that the establishment of the Dalai Lama Center would help to promote the message of peace, compassion and universal responsibility.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama said he hopes that the Center will act as a coordinating body to bring these experts together and produce concrete plans and proposals to bring about necessary changes in our education system. His Holiness also feels that with Canada’s long experience and good track record of dealing with the minority issues in a multicultural society, the new Center can play an important role in sharing these experiences with other minority communities like in South and Central America. His Holiness made it clear that the Center was not meant to promote the Dalai Lama. In fact he was not very happy with the name the Dalai Lama Center, he said.

After lunch, His Holiness gave audience to a several hundred Tibetans and Mongolians.

–Report sent by the Office of Tibet, New York

(www.tibet.net is the official website of the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.)