(TibetanReview.net, Dec11’24) –Tibetan communities across the free world commemorated the 35th anniversary of the conferment of the Nobel Peace Prize on His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Dec 10, joined by supporters from their host and visitor communities, with the main event being organized by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) at the Tsuglakhang, the main Buddhist temple in Dharamshala, India.
The day was also celebrated as the 76th international Human Rights Day, marking the UN General Assembly’s adoption and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The statement of the Kashag (cabinet), delivered by the Department of Security Kalon (minister) Mrs Dolma Gyari, highlighted the CTA’s plan for a year-long (Jul 6, 2025 to Jul 6, 2026) celebrations next year of a global Year of Compassion to mark the 90th Birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She said the focus will especially be on His Holiness’s four principal commitments towards the promotion of human values and religious harmony.
The statement reaffirmed the CTA’s commitment to finding a peaceful resolution to the Sino-Tibet conflict through the Middle Way Approach, “which seeks genuine autonomy for all Tibetans living in the traditional Tibetan areas to handle all its own religious, cultural, linguistic, education, health, and environmental affairs, as guaranteed by the Chinese Constitution and under the Law on Regional National Autonomy.”
Like the Kashag’s statement, the statement of the Tibetan Parliament in exile, delivered earlier by Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, highlighted His Holiness’s enormous contributions towards the preservation of Tibetan culture, carrying forward the Tibetan national struggle and finding a solution for the issue, and the promotion of global peace and inter-religious harmony.
The gathering was also addressed by members of parliamentary delegations from New Zealand (Joseph Mooney, Ingrid Leary, and Helen White) and Fiji (Rinesh Sharma) who were especially invited for the occasion, as was Mr Suresh Prabhu, Chairman of the India Foundation, Delhi, and former Government of India minster.
The delegation member also addressed a press conference at which they expressed solidarity with the Tibetan struggle for freedom and human rights. Ingrid Leary said that while the New Zealand delegation members were from different political parties, they were united in their support for human rights and their respect for His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Rinesh Sharma, opposition member in the Fijian parliament, said he would raise a discussion of the urgent situation in Tibet in parliament.
Those were not official delegations but a demonstration of individual commitments to human rights and an understanding of the Tibetan cause, it was explained.
The 28th Himalayan Festival was held over two days at a separate location, featuring performances by diverse ethnic and cultural groups from Himachal Pradesh and neighbouring states.
The day was also marked by the Buddhists living in Itanagar and surrounding areas in India’s northeastern Tibet-border state of Arunachal Pradesh, organized by the Tawang Monastery and Itanagar Buddhist Culture Society.
Tarh Tarak, chairman of the Tibet support Group (TSGAP) in the state and vice-president of the state BJP unit, spoke as the chief guest to pay homage to His Holiness, reported arunachalobserver.org Dec 11. He has referred to the state’s ethnic affinity with Tibet.
A number of other prominent public figures also addressed the gathering, including the state BJP general secretary Nalong Mize, the report said.