Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Sept. 12: Chungdak Dawa Koren, a well-known Tibetan activist and former representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, reportedly passed away on September 10 at the age of 74 in Oslo, Norway, after battling a prolonged illness. An official obituary was read by parliamentarian Phurba Dorjee Gyaldhong during the parliamentary session on Wednesday and a minute of silence was observed in the house to pay tribute to her life and contributions.
Chungdak’s lifelong dedication to her community began in 1967-68 when she volunteered as a teacher at a Tibetan refugee school under the Department of Education. She later served as a manager for the cooperative society at the Tibetan Settlement in Sonada, Darjeeling from 1968-69. Awarded a scholarship to study nursing in Norway, Chungdak worked as a nurse at Oslo University Hospital for 19 years, while remaining deeply involved with both the Tibetan community and local Tibet Support Groups.
She was instrumental in establishing the Norwegian Tibet Committee in 1988, where she later served as Executive Director. In 1989, she was appointed by the Office of Tibet London as the Coordinator between the Office of Tibet and the Nobel Committee, helping to facilitate His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Nobel Peace Prize award. She was also one of the founding members of Voice of Tibet, a Norwegian-based Tibetan radio station, launched in 1996.
From 1995 to 2001, Chungdak held the position of Representative of the Office of Tibet in Geneva, Switzerland, where she worked tirelessly for Tibetan human rights. Afterward, she continued her advocacy as a board member of the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT).
In recognition of her commitment to human rights, Chungdak was awarded the Ossietzky Prize from Norwegian PEN in 2008. In 2011, she was elected to the 15th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile as a representative for Europe but later stepped down due to health concerns.
