BERLIN STATEMENT AND ACTION PLAN

THIRD INTERNATIONAL TIBET SUPPORT GROUP CONFERENCE

Berlin 14 May 2000

We, 282 representatives of Tibet support organisations from 52 countries of all continents, gathered in Berlin from 11 to 14 May 2000 to develop strategies to effectively support the struggle of the Tibetan people for freedom and justice, express our complete solidarity with the people of Tibet and pledge to intensify our efforts to help them achieve their legitimate objectives.

We fully endorse the right of the Tibetan people to determine their own destiny, in accordance with their recognised right to self-determination, and recognise His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in exile to be the sole legitimate representatives of the Tibetan people.

We are gravely concerned at the deterioration of the situation in Tibet and condemn the continued violation of the Tibetan people's human rights and freedoms by the government of the People's Republic of China, including their political, cultural, religious, social and economic rights. We commend and admire the Tibetan people for responding to His Holiness the Dalai Lama's call to reject violence, despite the violence and suffering inflicted on them by the Chinese government authorities.

We support His Holiness the Dalai Lama's call for a peaceful resolution of the conflict which is caused by China's occupation of Tibet, and for the proposals he has made for substantive negotiations with China's leaders, without any preconditions. We commend His Holiness for the consistency of his position in this regard and are pleased at the broad support which governments and parliaments of many countries have expressed for the proposals put forward by His Holiness.

We condemn the persistent refusal of the government of the Peoples Republic of China to enter into earnest negotiations with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and for setting unacceptable conditions designed to prevent such negotiations from taking place. This is particularly unreasonable given the extremely moderate and concillatory position His Holiness has taken.

We endorse the proposal made by a Member of the European Parliament at the conference for an initiative to urge the Government of Tibet in Exile to reconsider its position on independence if no substantive progress has been made in negotiations with the governnment of the People's Republic of China on proposal or Tibetan self government in the next three years. In that event, we shall support such a stand and shall launch a major campaigne for international recognition of Tibet's claim or for the conduct of an internationally supervised referendum on the issue.

We have reviewed the activities, successes and weaknesses of the Tibet movement and are very encouraged by the strength which the movement has demonstrated, in particular the considerable impact that some international campaigns have had. We are convinced that the potential for success can be much increased by improving the communication and coordination among all concerned and by creating a spirit of and mechanisms for mutual support so that the capacity and effectiveness, particularly of less established groups can be increased. Extensive discussions were held and recommandations on this issue were made.

In order to contribute to most effectively support the Tibetan struggle for freedom, justice and human dignity, we urge all governments to intensify calls on China to respond positively to His Holiness the Dalai Lama's proposal for negotiations without preconditions and to support the non-violent efforts of His Holiness and the Government of Tibet in exile and people by whatever means possible.

We decide to take the following action:

Tibet Support Groups will actively lobby their governments to expressly press the government of the PRC to start negotiations with His Holiness the Dalai Laina and the Government of Tibet in Exile without delay and without any preconditions.

Tibet Support Groups will undertake co-ordinated lobbying of their country's governments to persuade them to take action at the 57th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to censure China with respect to Tibet. Special attention should be given and support should be provided for this purpose in Latin American and African countries. This activity should start as soon as possible. Appropriate follow-up to last year's appeals to UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan should be considered.

Efforts will be undertaken by Tibet Support Groups wherever possible to persuade the parliaments of their respective countries to recognise that Tibet is an occupied country and that His Holiness the Dalai Lamna and the Government of Tībet-in-Exile are the sole legitimate representatives of the Tibetan people, as was done by the Australiane Senate, the Belgian Parliament, the European Parliament, the Saami Parliament and the U.S. Congress.

Building on successes of a number of campaigns, and in line with the overall political strategic objectives, international campaigns will be conducted to prevent or stop development projects and direct or indirect foreign investments in Tibet that adversely affect the Tībetan people. In keeping with the Government of Tibet in Exile's guidelines on development, projects that genuinely assist and empower the Tibetan people inside Tibet will be encouraged and supported. Research should be done and made available to all Tibet Support Groups on this. Direct actions targeting selected Chinese products abroad may also be organised.

Coordinated international campaigns will be conducted for the release of Tibetan political

prisoners, in particular the 11th Panchen Lama.

Tibet Support Groups should work to highlight the situation of the Tibetan women in Tibet including forcible sterlisation, forced abortions and prison rapes.

Coordinated Satyagraha actions will be launched on an international level as well as within specific countries and regions. Special days, such as Tibet National Uprising Day (March 10), the Tiananmen Square Day (June 4), Mahatma Gandhi birth anniversary (October 2) and Human Rights Day (December 10) will be observed, and protests, marches and other forms of peaceful action will be organised in a coordinated fashion.

Special efforts will be made to build functional coalitions with other appropriate NGOs, trade union movements, and political parties and interfaith outreach will be strengthened.

Given Tibet's special links with other peoples of Asia, special efforts will be made to create support groups in as many Asian countries as possible. A Tibet awareness campaign will be launched in South Asia, which will include cultural festivals, exhibitions, media and NGO workshops, and activities targeting the political elite, student, youth and women groups. Support will be sought from other Tibet Support Groups, such as International Campaign for Tibet. An Asian conference on the future of Tibet will be organised also with the aim of increasing understanding and support for the cause of the Tibetan people.

In the Latin American region more awareness building programs and selected cultural programs will be carried out. Special efforts will be made to strengthen the capacity of the Tibet Support Groups and a regional information and coordination network will be set up and a regional Tibet Support Group conference will be organised in 2001 for that purpose. Coordination with Tibet Support Groups outside the region, such as the Students for a Free Tibet, will be increased.

In Africa and the Middle East education and awareness programs shall be encouraged, cooperation with other NGOs in the region will be increased and special emphasis will be placed on the social and historical experiences of the peoples of those countries, especially colonialisme, apartheid and the Holocaust. Support will be sought from the more established Tibet Support Groups in other regions and visits by Tibetans will be encouraged and arranged.

In Eastern Europe and the CIS, the setting up or enlargement of parliamentary groups will be encouraged and a coordination system will be created. Tibet Support Groups will seek to cooperate with and to receive support from Tibet Support Groups inside and outside the region. It is proposed to solicit the engagement of influential personalities from the region in support of Tibet.

Special efforts will be made by European Tibet Support Groups to lobby the European Commission which has been asked to appoint a special coordinator on Tibet.

The conference emphasised the importance of reaching out to the Chinese people and Tibet Support Groups were encouraged to maximise opportunities for this. The special experience of persons from former Communist Countries may assist them to reach out to the Chinese people. Use of the website in the Chinese language is essential. A major conference on Tibet will be organised by the Tibet China-Study Group next year. Similar conferences are encouraged. Writings of Tibetans and compilation of reports by Chinese visitors to Tibet and to the Tibetan community in exile will be published in the Chinese language and the making of a documentary was proposed.

The Government of Tibet-in-Exile is requested to consider posting a representative in Latin America to increase its presence at the United Nations in New York, and to include a Tibetan fluent in Chinese in the New York office.

In order to improve the communication and coordination of Tibet Support Group activities and campaigns, which is considered to be of major importance, as stated above, it was decided to set up the International Tibet Support Network, as proposed by the Ad Hoc Committee on Tibet Support Group Coordination. The Ad Hoc Committee was asked to take on the task of the Network's Steering Committee for the interim period of one year until elections to that body will be held. All Tibet Support Groups will be encouraged to become members of the Network.