Dear John,

Together, we’ve done it. We’ve changed US policy on Tibet.

Late last night, as part of its government funding bill, Congress passed the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 (TPSA). The President is now expected to sign the legislation, making the TPSA the law of the land.

This is the victory we’ve been waiting for. Eighteen long years have passed since the last sweeping bill on Tibet, the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002, made it through Congress. And more than a year has gone by since Rep. James McGovern and Sen. Marco Rubio introduced the bipartisan TPSA. Now, all of our hard work has finally come to fruition.

As a new law, the TPSA will:

• Make it official US policy that only the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Buddhist community can decide on his eventual succession
• Recognize the Tibetan plateau as a strategic region, whose environment and water sources, which more than 1 billion people downstream depend on, are threatened by both climate change and China’s policies
• Sanction Chinese officials if they try to appoint their own Dalai Lama in the future
• Renew international and coordinated diplomatic efforts to find a political solution through negotiations between the Chinese government and the representatives of the Dalai Lama
• Prevent China from opening a new consulate in the US until it allows a US consulate in Lhasa
• Authorize funding for Tibetan essential humanitarian projects inside and outside Tibet till at least 2025

We know the Chinese government won’t stop its polices in Tibet just because this bill became law. But the TPSA makes it clear that Tibetans’ religious freedom matters, and that there will be real consequences if the Chinese government continues to violate it.

Now, the attention will turn to committing other world governments around the globe to adopting similar policies. And I know our ICT members will be part of that effort. (Collectively, you—our ICT members— sent 26,423 petitions to Congress asking them to support the TPSA—thank you!)

As you may be aware, I’ll be leaving ICT in a few weeks for an appointment as the new director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. I cannot think of a better way to end my presidency at ICT than the passage of the TPSA, and I cannot imagine a more inspiring group of supporters to work with than all of you. I look forward to bringing with me the values that inspire the incredible community of compassion made up of ICT members like you!

Thank you for making our work to support the aspirations of the Tibetan people a success over these years.

Sincerely,

Matteo Mecacci
President

P.S. 2020 has been a year unlike any other, but we have not let that stop us from making history in US policy on Tibet. Please donate today to keep our efforts going strong in 2021 and beyond. Right now, all gifts to ICT will be matched by our Chairman Richard Gere and a small group of friends, so your gift will have twice the impact!