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Speaking for Tibet
In preparation for the WSSD, three Tibetan organizations applied for accreditation--International Campaign for Tibet, Tibet Justice Center, and the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy. All were denied accreditation at PrepComs 2, 3, and 4 respectively. In spite of this fact, all three have sent representatives to Johannesburg as part of a 20-member Tibetan delegation intent on incorporating Tibetan issues into these proceedings.
What is your view on denial of accreditation?
The UN Member States are engaged in a dangerous form of censorship. Our organizations came to the UN to participate in the substantive issues related to environment and development in Tibet, and to create constructive dialogue with the Chinese government. Instead of supporting this effort, UN Members have supported exclusion of Tibetan voices from the global dialogue. We learned yesterday that several Taiwanese journalists have also been denied accreditation. The message that UN Members are sending is that you are welcome to participate, as long as you already agree--what kind of democracy and good governance is that?
What do you hope to accomplish here?
Principle 23 of the Rio Declaration states that the environment and natural resources of people under oppression, domination, and occupation shall be protected. We are here to ensure that this principle is operationalized in the language of the implementation document and the political declaration. The international support that Tibet enjoys has allowed us to participate on a limited basis in this dialogue through friendly organizations that have accreditation, but our ability to lobby is severely restricted.
Given these restrictions, what makes you think that you can accomplish anything here?
We have already been successful in negotiating directly with Chinese government delegations through IUCN’s World Conservation Congress process. In Montreal, Canada in 1996 and in Amman, Jordan in 2000, Tibet Justice Center representatives reached consensus with Chinese representatives on the need to protect Tibet’s water resources. The 2000 agreement marked the first time since the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1949 that Tibetan and Chinese representatives have met face-to-face and agreed on any matter. We think this is no small accomplishment, and believe that continuing dialogue is still possible if we are given the opportunity to speak. In fact, some of the members of the Chinese delegation present at WSSD were the same people with whom we reached these common agreements at IUCN.
What are your issues?
We believe in the rights of local peoples to control the use of their natural resources and to decide how development should be approached. However, benefits of current development projects and exploitation of natural resources often do not accrue to Tibetans in Tibet. For example, the Western Development Project currently being touted by the Chinese government as the solution to regional economic and social disparities is in fact another effort to consolidate control over Tibet, without providing substantive improvements in the quality of life of Tibetan people. Tibet is a de facto colony, with natural resources being extracted to fuel the economic growth of the Chinese mainland.
Why is Tibet important to WSSD?
The Tibetan Plateau is a key player in the environmental health of Asia. Ten major rivers flow from Tibet through China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, supporting over a quarter of the world’s population. Snow cover on the Plateau has a direct influence on the timing and duration of the monsoon in India and Southeast Asia. The rest of the world needs to be concerned about these issues not only from an environment and development standpoint, but also from a geopolitical perspective. Transboundary water management will continue to be a critical issue for Asian nations, and without substantive dialogue and progress on these issues, the opportunity for armed conflict increases.
In addition, we believe Tibetans can make an important contribution to the global thinking on sustainability. Their culture supports a sustainable approach to development and natural resource use. They respect the intrinsic value of all sentient beings and the resources that support them. We need to adopt a similar global philosophy if our planet is to survive.
Where do you go from here?
We will continue to pursue every avenue of dialogue and negotiation with our Chinese colleagues. We will also continue to engage the international community, at the UN, and in governmental and civil society forums, in order to ensure that Tibetans enjoy the same fundamental human rights and freedoms that are a necessary prerequisite to sustainable development and human security.
For further information, please contact: Norzin Dolma (Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy) 072-113-9670, D’Arcy Richardson (Tibet Justice Center) 082-858-3884, or Lisa Sock (International Campaign for Tibet) 082-379-5792).
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