Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Aug. 14: A Tibetan delegation, accompanied by two family members of late Tibetan independence activist Lobga Rangzen, met with United Nations Human Rights Council Special Representative Anne Siyota at the United Nations on Wednesday, urging the international rights body to take more decisive action over the deteriorating human rights situation in Tibet.
The delegation, led by former 13th and 14th Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) Centrex President and former Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile member Tsewang Rigzin, held discussions with Siyota for nearly an hour. Speaking to Phayul following the meeting, he said the delegation submitted six demands that addressed what it described as “continuing violations”of Tibetan rights and the erosion of Tibet’s cultural and national identity.
The delegation’s first demand was for the United Nations to implement its earlier resolutions on Tibet adopted in 1959, 1961 and 1965. These resolutions had raised concerns over violations of the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Tibetan people and called for an end to policies undermining their rights, including their right to self-determination.
The delegation also urged the UN to dispatch an independent fact-finding mission to Tibet and recognise Tibet as an independent country, with sovereignty vested in the Tibetan people.
A significant portion of the discussion focused on China’s education policies in Tibet, particularly the expansion of state-run residential boarding schools for Tibetan children. Rigzen told Phayul that the delegation called on the UN to exert pressure on Beijing to dismantle the boarding-school system, which they allege is designed to accelerate the assimilation of Tibetan children into Chinese society by distancing them from their families, language, and cultural traditions.
The delegation further urged the United Nations to publicly oppose China’s recently implemented Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, calling for the legislation to be withdrawn immediately.
The sixth demand centred on what Rigzen described as the need for the United Nations to show greater solidarity with and sympathy for the Tibetan people. As part of this appeal, the delegation asked a UN representative to visit the site outside the UN Headquarters in New York where the late martyr carried out self-immolation on July 2, 2026. The Tibetan activist later died from his injuries.
The delegation also called on the UN to acknowledge and honour the thousands of Tibetan men and women who, according to the delegation, have sacrificed their lives for the Tibetan cause over the years.
He said the six demands were ultimately aimed at pressing the UN to move beyond expressions of concern and take more tangible steps on the Tibet issue. These, he said, should include enforcing its earlier resolutions, facilitating an independent investigation into conditions in Tibet, challenging policies viewed as threatening Tibetan identity, and giving greater recognition to the rights and grievances of the Tibetan people.
