By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, Aug. 20: The participants of the youth meet organized by the Central Tibetan Administration under the banner of the ‘Five-fifty forum’ on Monday called on the Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the latter’s residence here in McLeod Ganj.
The Tibetan leader told the gathering that the intent behind the youth forum to promote inclusivity and dialogue between all sections of the community is commendable and referred to the 5/50 initiative as “beautiful”.
The Dalai Lama urged over a 100 delegates from 15 nations to have pride and sense of responsibility in being a Tibetan and in the preservation of the ancient Indian knowledge that survives only in Tibetan texts today. The egalitarian leader said that this knowledge must be considered a secular subject which are relevant to believers and non-believers alike.
The forum which is the second segment under the umbrella of the ‘Five-fifty vision’ initiative by the CTA, intents to incorporate opinions, ideas and suggestions from youths from the Tibetan diaspora to shape Tibet’s political future and strengthening the Tibetan freedom movement.
The forum hosted plenary sessions on themes ranging from dialogue with PRC, amplifying voices from the youth in the Tibetan freedom movement, linking Tibetans inside and outside Tibet and CTA’s Leadership toward the Five-Fifty Vision.
The ‘Five and Fifty’ vision, one of Dr. Lobsang Sangay’s flagship policies, was introduced in May 2016 at the swearing-in ceremony of his second term as the Sikyong or President, the head of the Tibetan polity. The policy calls for a revitalization of the Tibetan people’s struggle to seek genuine autonomy through the ‘Middle Way Approach’ in the next five years while strategizing to embolden and sustain the Tibetan movement over the next fifty years as a contingency plan.
The first segment of the 5/50 initiative saw a high-level meet attended by intellectuals, Tibet experts as well as prominent politicians in October 2017. The third segment is set to be held later this year which will focus on bolstering resilience on various fronts, organisers said.
Watch video: Courtesy of Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
