Tibet Talks

Penpa Tsering is the Sikyong (President) of the Central Tibetan Administration. He is the democratically elected leader of Tibetans in exile. In this chat with ICT, Sikyong Tsering will discuss the role of the CTA, the importance of US support for Tibet and more. Join us for this special conversation!

In this live Tibet Talk, ICT Research Analyst Tenzin Norgay and President Tencho Gyatso will answer your questions about the Derge dam protests. Together they’ll explain what the protests mean, how the international community has responded and where we go from here.

In this Tibet Talk, your questions about the Resolve Tibet Act will be answered live by ICT President Tencho Gyatso and Director of Government Relations Franz Matzner. These ICT leaders will also discuss the upcoming Tibet Lobby Day in Washington, DC and other efforts to mark 65 years of Tibetan resilience and resistance against China’s occupation of Tibet.

ICT Germany Executive Director Kai Mueller will be there in Geneva to monitor the UPR and to help organize a side event spotlighting China’s human rights abuses against Tibetans. In this Tibet Talk, we’ll speak to Kai about the UPR, the state of human rights in Tibet and the ability of the international community to pressure China into changing its policies.

In this Tibet Talk, we'll speak to Lhadon Tethong, director of Tibet Action Institute, an organization that has been raising awareness about the boarding schools. In conversation with ICT President Tencho Gyatso, Lhadon will discuss the impact of these schools on Tibetan families, the response from the global community and what needs to happen next.

In this Tibet Talk, we speak to Amy Yee, author of the new book, "Far from the Rooftop of the World: Travels among Tibetan Refugees on Four Continents." We discuss the 15-year journey—and the life-changing interaction with the Dalai Lama—that led her to write the book. We also go over the lives of the Tibetan exiles she got to know and the warmth they showed her as a Chinese American. Plus, we speak to ICT President Tencho Gyatso about the visit of the Tibetan Sikyong (President) to Washington, DC.

Tibet’s rivers are beautiful, but they’re also life-sustaining. And not just for people in Tibet, but for nearly 2 billion people across Asia who depend on the rivers’ flow. But China’s large-scale water diversion projects and hydropower development are having a dangerous effect on these rivers, imperiling downstream countries, furthering China’s agenda of regional control and threatening the Tibetan way of life.

In our final episode on His Holiness’ Four Principal Commitments, we’ll discuss his commitment to reviving India’s civilizational heritage and its value to today with Rajiv Mehrotra, an acclaimed Indian former TV host and the secretary and trustee of the Foundation For Universal Responsibility of His Holiness The Dalai Lama, which was started with seed money from His Holiness’ Nobel Peace Prize award. Mehrotra has been a student of the Dalai Lama for over 40 years.

In our third episode on His Holiness’ Four Principal Commitments, we’ll discuss his efforts to preserve Tibetan culture and strive for Tibet’s cause with Tenzin Namgyal Tethong, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Representative to North America (1973-86), former Kalon Tripa (Minister and Chair of the Cabinet) of the Central Tibetan Administration, as well as the founding President of ICT.

In our second episode on His Holiness’ Four Principal Commitments, we’ll discuss his commitment to religious harmony with Professor Siddiq Wahid, a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research.

In our first episode on His Holiness’ Four Principal Commitments, we’ll discuss his commitment to human values with Dr. Richie Davidson, a neuro-scientist known for his groundbreaking work in the study of emotion and the brain.

Join us every Thursday in August for a special series celebrating the four principal commitments of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Tibet’s premier filmmaker has died. By writing and directing movies that won acclaim across the globe, Pema Tseden put Tibetan cinema on the map.

The media have a vital role to play in telling the world Tibet’s story. But the Chinese government makes it nearly impossible for foreign journalists to enter Tibet and report on China’s human rights abuses against the Tibetan people. In fact, a Washington Post reporter said in 2016 that the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region, which spans roughly half of Tibet, is harder to visit as a journalist than even North Korea.

When Xi Jinping took over as China’s top leader in 2012, there were hopes that his reputation as a moderate and his father’s relationship with the Dalai Lama would lead to a softening of policies. Instead, Xi has proven to be a hardliner whose indefinite rule began this past month, unforeseen a decade ago.

At ICT, we just wrapped up our 2023 Tibet Lobby Day. It was a record-setting event that brought over 150 Tibetan Americans and Tibet supporters to Washington, DC to build Congressional support for the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Conflict Act.

Losar Tashi Delek! That’s the greeting Tibetans will use next week when they celebrate Losar, the Tibetan New Year. And on this episode of Tibet Talks, you can celebrate this beautiful holiday with ICT.

At the Dalai Lama’s residence in India, an unusual visitor has arrived: a troubled Giant Panda who has traveled from many miles away. Welcoming him as a friend, His Holiness invites the Panda on a walk through a cedar forest. There, in the shadow of the Himalayas, surrounded by beauty, they discuss matters great and small.

Tibet’s fate is one of tragedy and hope. Because of China’s illegal occupation, the people of Tibet have lost the right to determine their own destiny.

In the history of Tibetans in exile, Lodi Gyari holds a special place. As the late President and Executive Chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet, Mr. Gyari helped build lasting support for Tibet from governments around the world.