Conference Statement (English version)
The Ninth International Conference of Tibet Support Groups (TSGs) was convened in Brussels, capital of the European Union, with over 170 delegates from 40 countries around the world.
Since the last gathering of TSGs in Dharamsala in 2019, we have seen a greater understanding of China’s threat to global peace and security. This has increased opportunities for political advocacy to resolve the Tibet-China conflict. Towards this goal, Conference participants celebrated campaign victories and milestones achieved, many of which were identified as priorities in the 2019 Dharamsala Action Plan: the 2024 passage of the bipartisan Resolve Tibet Act in the U.S. House of Representatives; the 2023 European Parliament resolution calling for an immediate end to the repressive colonial boarding school system in Tibet; the two-fold increase in governments speaking out for Tibet at China’s United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2024; the growing statements of concern and condemnation of China’s policies and practices in Tibet from key UN Committees and Special Rapporteurs; the diplomatic boycott of China’s 2022 Winter Olympic Games; the shuttering of hundreds of Confucius Institutes around the world; the cancellation of PRC-sponsored propaganda inserts in major media outlets; and the recent decision by Thermo-Fisher to cease sales of DNA test kits in Tibet.
In a world deeply traumatized by violent conflicts, the Conference expressed its respect and admiration for the Tibetan people’s continued commitment to nonviolence and democracy in their decades-long struggle for freedom and human rights, under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Participants expressed their strong belief that nonviolent advocacy to resolve the Tibet-China conflict must be a priority of the international community, and declared their deep commitment to this goal by increasing the level of strategic collaboration with movements fighting for their human rights and freedom, including the brave people of East Turkistan, Southern Mongolia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well the countless Chinese defenders of human rights and democracy, especially the new generation of activists inspired by the White Paper Revolution.
The Conference drew upon the diverse skills, experience and perspectives, as well as the sense of common purpose, of TSGs from around the world. Among the Conference participants were many individuals who have remained committed to the Tibetan Freedom Movement since protests rocked Tibet in 1987, and are now helping to train and mentor a new generation of skilled and dedicated Tibetan activists in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Australasia, represented at this Conference by dozens of engaged youth. It welcomed the participation of activists working on behalf of East Turkistan, Southern Mongolia, Hong Kong and Taiwan and expressed solidarity with our common goal of freedom and justice.
Attendees drew motivation from the message of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Conference, including his statement: “I always believe that our supporters are not pro-Tibetan but rather pro-justice.” He is, and will always be, an inspiration for TSGs.
Rigzin Genkhang, Representative, Office of Tibet, Brussels, welcomed all participants to the Conference. The Conference also listened with appreciation to remarks from Mikulas Peksa, President of Tibet Interest Group, European Parliament, and Prof. Hans Gert Pöttering, former President of the European Parliament, as well as by Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, Senator Eustache-Brinio, Chair of the French Parliamentary Group for Tibet, and Norzin Dolma, Kalon, Department of Information and International Relations, Central Tibetan Administration.
Sikyong Penpa Tsering in his keynote address reiterated the Central Tibetan Administration’s commitment to the Middle Way Policy, while expressing the need to stress the historical status of Tibet as an independent country to counter China’s false narrative on Tibetan history and to add value to the Middle Way Policy.
The Conference listened with grave concern to briefings detailing the ongoing repression of human rights in Tibet. The Conference highlighted the systematic effort by the Chinese Government to eradicate Tibet’s distinct national and cultural identity through its system of colonial boarding schools, in which three out of every four Tibetan students, as young as four years old, are taken from their parents and denied the opportunity to be educated in their own language and culture.
The Conference condemned ongoing efforts to suppress religious freedom in Tibet, including through the attempt to control the process of recognizing reincarnations. The Conference reiterated that the Tibetan people have the right to manage their own religious affairs. Only His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and the people he entrusts, have the right to decide the process of recognizing his reincarnation.
The Conference demands the immediate release of all Tibetan political prisoners, including the Panchen Lama, who was subjected to enforced disappearance by the Chinese authorities at the age of six. It condemns the detention and mistreatment of all Tibetans advocating for human rights, including the recent case of Gonpo Kyi.
The Conference noted with alarm the illegal detention of over 1,000 Tibetans in Dege in recent days for peacefully protesting a proposed dam, which will result in their forced resettlement and the destruction of several monasteries. It calls for the immediate release of all who have been detained, an end to all forced relocation of rural Tibetans.
The Conference is profoundly concerned about the devastating impact of China’s policies on Tibet’s fragile and vital environment, notably the damming of Asia’s rivers, destructive mining practices and coercive settlement of nomads, all of which exacerbate the climate crisis and environmental destruction on the Tibetan Plateau, most likely destabilizing regional security. The conference calls upon the international community to recognise its collective responsibility to the wellbeing and integrity of Tibet’s fragile and globally important environment.
The Conference commends, and with great appreciation welcomes, the individual and joint declarations of support from governments around the world calling for an end to the violations of the Tibetan people’s human rights. The Conference is grateful to the many elected representatives and government officials who continue to press the Chinese Government to meet the international legal obligations to respect the rights of the Tibetan people and to engage in dialogue with representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to pursue a mutually beneficial solution to the Tibet-China conflict.
The Conference participants reaffirm their commitment to supporting the Tibetan people in their struggle for freedom, self-determination, and respect for their human rights, and for protection of the Tibetan plateau’s unique environment, until a resolution has been achieved that is satisfactory to the Tibetan people.
The Conference also looks forward to celebrating His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday in 2025 with activities befitting his stature to highlight his lifelong contribution to the well-being of humanity and of the Tibetan people, and to spread his message of peace, nonviolence and compassion.
Accordingly, the Conference has adopted as priorities for further development and action the following Action Plan.
2024 Action Plan
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama – Reincarnation
- Resolving the Tibet-China Conflict via Recognition of Tibet’s Historical Independence
- Building parliamentary support groups with a focus on EU elections
- To abolish China’s colonial boarding school system in Tibet
- End Transnational Repression (TNR)
- Tibet Climate Crisis
- Appreciation of Tibetan Culture
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama – Reincarnation
Overview and objectives: China intends to try to control the process for identifying the reincarnation of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. This is not just an issue of religious freedom, but a further effort to eliminate the distinct Tibetan national and cultural identity. The objective is to obtain statements from government foreign ministries and parliaments to declare that it is solely for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people to decide on the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.
Summary of campaign proposals: Engage faith leaders (especially Buddhists), scholars, and the media to build public attention, leading to active lobbying of government officials and parliamentarians. His Holiness’s 90th birthday provides a point of public focus around which to draw attention to the issue.
Where to go for more information:
- REPORT: ‘Tibet, the Dalai Lama and Geopolitics of Reincarnation’
- English ITN_Reincarnation-Report_Mid_OnlineReading.pdf
- Other languages including Tibetan, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, French, Spanish, Portuguese: ALL REPORT VERSIONS
- Resolving the Tibet-China Conflict via Recognition of Tibet’s Historical Independence
Overview and objectives: China has ceased to engage in dialogue with Tibetan representatives over the terms of resolution to the issue of Tibetan self-determination. Government acknowledgment of Tibet’s historical independence and the fact that it is under illegal occupation of the People’s Republic of China is a way to bring international pressure on China to re-engage in dialogue with Tibetan representatives on the topic of a resolution to the Tibet-China conflict.
The main goal is for governments to acknowledge that Tibet is an illegally occupied country and recognize Tibet’s historical independent status. Part of this effort is to convince governments not to depict Tibet as being a part of China, or to refrain from using the term minority instead of the term “Tibetan people”.
Some example tactics suggested:
Aiming for:
- Ensuring preparedness by engaging with the Tibetan community with toolkits , advocacy workshops, rapid crisis response teams/guidelines, centralized communication channels. Local advocacy, and media engagement including taking decision-makers to Dharamsala. Coordinating conferences on Tibetan historic status, communication channels between scholars and activists, and peer reviews.
- Engaging the general public via cultural festivals, buddhist leaders, social media strategy.
Where to go for more information:
- https://tibet.net/important-issues/sino-tibetan-dialogue/an-overview-of-sino-tibetan-dialogue/
- https://freetibet.org/freedom-for-tibet/occupation-of-tibet/chinas-lies/
- Building parliamentary support groups with a focus on EU elections
Overview and objectives: Groups identified that the forthcoming EU elections are an opportunity to reestablish the EU Intergroup on Tibet and to build parliamentary support in the EU parliament. This objective can be developed to increase parliamentary support in other countries and regions.
Summary of campaign proposals: International Campaign for Tibet and the Office of Tibet Brussels are developing a coordinated plan of action for TSGs in EU member states.
Some example tactics suggested:
- Develop a pledge for support to be signed by MEP candidates
- Provide toolkits for advocacy work
- Organize meetings with respective Parliamentary Tibet groups
Where to go for more information: International Campaign for Tibet Europe and Office of Tibet Brussels.
- To abolish China’s colonial boarding school system in Tibet
Overview and objectives: Mobilize global Tibet groups to build grassroots awareness and support from governments and the international community
Some example actions and tactics suggested:
- Engage allies from:
- other human rights organizations
- indigenous communities with similar history of colonial boarding schools
- academic, student and parent organizations, law-makersand children’s rights experts
- political / parliamentary groups and organizations
- Develop strong strategies for both traditional and social media
- provide toolkits with talking points, sample press releases, create postcards with QR codes
- reach out to news agencies, editors and journalists networks
- Press for political figures to go on fact-finding missions
- direct lobbying and petitions and direct actions if they do not respond positively
Where to go for more information: International Tibet Network campaign working group; Tibet Action report: https://tibetaction.net/colonial-boarding-school-report/ ; Tibet Action campaign website https://tibetaction.net/campaigns/colonialboardingschools/ ;
- End Transnational Repression (TNR)
Overview and objectives: The Chinese government represents a threat to Tibetan communities in exile, through methods of surveillance, intimidation and coercion.
Summary of campaign proposals: Get governments to publicly condemn transnational repression against Tibetans and create databases that monitor, track and detail relevant incidents.
Some example tactics suggested:
Tactics to achieve this goal include
- raising awareness in the public (e.g. through op-eds or petitions)
- research and document cases of TNR against Tibetans
- inform and activate stakeholders in government and parliament to support and implement relevant policy proposals.
Where to go for more information:
Monitor and study experiences of other communities such as Uyghurs and Hongkongers to understand mechanisms used by the Chinese state.
TCHRD Report – ‘Chinese Transnational Repression of Tibeatn Diaspora Communities’, ‘https://tchrd.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Chinese-Transnational-Repression-of-Tibetan-Diaspora-Communities.pdf
- Tibet Climate Crisis
Overview and objectives: The climate crisis is particularly relevant to Tibet. Tibet should therefore be brought up in all climate discussions, on a multilateral and bilateral level with China, and beyond, in media and the public discourse.
Summary of campaign proposals: Relevant stakeholders and foras should be identified and mapped, along with stock taking of what the Tibetan freedom movement has contributed so far to the climate conversation. Testimonies from Tibetans should be at the heart of awareness campaigns, in various forms, to communicate the urgency of the situation.
Some example tactics suggested:
- Approach scientific institutes and academics with information on the Tibetan Plateau.
- Collaborate with environmental and climate rights related NGOs, including those for example in South America to highlight the importance of protecting Tibet’s environment in the relevant domestic discourses.
- Refrain from using outright political vocabulary and choose smart language.
- Include young Tibetans into public campaigns, e.g. through videos or other multimedia means.
- Utilize or expand on existing research done on Tibet.
- Conducting a literature review/aggregating expert opinion and studies related to Tibet.
Where to go for more information: Resources are available on:
Further reading:
International Campaign for Tibet report, ‘National Parts , Rural Revitalisation’: https://savetibet.org/national-parks-rural-revitalization/
- Appreciation of Tibetan Culture
Overview and objectives: To rebuild public support for Tibet by creating a lasting appreciation for the importance of Tibetan culture around the world.
Tibet groups are encouraged to coordinate with Tibetan communities in their countries and regions to highlight and promote Tibetan culture through events, workshops, students groups and via digital channels.
Where to go for more information:
- Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts: Tipa.Asia/
- Local Tibetan communities and associations
- Regional Offices of Tibet
9th International Conference of Tibet Support Groups Commences in Brussels