President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China

Mme. Irina Bukova, Director-General of UNESCO

We, the undersigned, independent and institutionally-affiliated specialists in various fields of Tibetan Studies, respectfully submit this petition to you out of grave concern over the rapidly-progressing destruction of much of the traditional architectural heritage of the Old City of Lhasa and its environs. This destruction is not simply a question of aesthetics: