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About Us
OUR NEW NAME
We changed our name mostly because we aren't just a committee of lawyers anymore. The founding board adopted the original name - International Committee of Lawyers for Tibet - twelve years ago. We were one of the first Tibet support groups to form. At the time, the Tibetan freedom struggle had only just become an international cause following the demonstrations in Lhasa in 1987-88. His Holiness the Dalai Lama had not yet won the Nobel Prize and no one knew how Westerners were going to be able to help. But in a nonviolent struggle where information and law are the main persuaders, we believed that lawyers would play a key role in presenting the Tibetan case, especially at the United Nations.
We were not wrong. As you can see from our History and Current Projects the Tibetan Government-in-Exile relies on us regularly for support in front of United Nations bodies and for special projects. Our fact-finding missions on Tibetan women and children together provide the most salient view of the impact of Chinese rule today on most Tibetans. Tibetans throughout the United States depend on us to get them the immigration and asylum advice they need. We are a leader on environmental issues involving Tibet. We were also instrumental in getting the World Bank campaign off the ground and in getting the TSG's internationally to adopt a more cohesive organizing platform.
While our expertise in human rights law and advocacy remain at the core of our work, we have found it increasingly necessary to draw on the knowledge and skill of many others: environmentalists, psychologists, doctors, nurses, teachers, business people, journalists and anthropologists. We have been fortunate to find committed people in all these fields willing to help. And we don't just provide legal advice and arguments. We look at politics, science and economics. We keep our eyes on the big picture and where our work fits in the Tibetans' long-term strategy.
We therefore wanted a name with more room for the true breadth and depth of our work. In talking to our members about the name change, we realized that our original name has built up a great deal of good will over the years. Ultimately, though, our work will have to speak for itself. We beg your patience while we transition to the new name, but we are confident that the quality of our work on behalf of the Tibetan people will continue to earn your support.
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