Oproep van Internationale Netwerk van Parlementsleden Tibet (INPaT) aan Premier Canada voor G20 ontmoeting

23 juni 2010

De eerste activiteit van het internationaal parlementair netwerk is een oproep aan de Canadese Premier om de Tibetaanse kwestie onder de aandacht te brengen tijdens de komende G20 ontmoeting van 16-25 juni in Canada. Hieronder volgt de officiële brief (in het Engels):

Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa ON K1A 0A2
CANADA
Fax: 001 613 941 6900

Amsterdam, June 23, 2010

Dear Prime Minister,

We are approaching your office today on behalf of the International Network of Parliamentarians Tibet (INPaT) to express the gratitude for the past attention that Canada has given the issue of Tibet and to respectfully request that you raise the following issues related to Tibet with President Hu Jintao at June’s G20 Summit through their inclusion in the official agenda and side discussions.

Middle Way Approach – The Dalai Lama’s Middle Way Approach seeks to secure genuine autonomy for the Tibetan people within the scope of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, based on the mutual benefit and long-term interest of the Tibetan and Chinese peoples.

The protection and development of the unique Tibetan identity in all its aspects serves the larger interest of humanity in general and those of the Tibetan and Chinese people in particular. And it represents a solution to the Tibet issue that is compatible with the pre-existing principles on autonomy as defined in the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China.

Since 2008, seven members of the G8 have publicly indicated their support for the dialogue between the government of China and the Dalai Lama, or his designated representatives, to resolve ongoing differences based upon the Middle Way Approach.

With this overwhelming support, the G20 Summit offers a unique opportunity to rally these and other voices into a common statement encouraging the government of China to avail itself of the opportunity presented by the 2008 Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy.

Human rights in Tibet – We, parliamentarians from around the world, remain deeply concerned about the protection of human rights in Tibet, including but not limited to freedom of religion, expression and due process.

We believe it is essential that G20 leaders make an unequivocal representation to President Hu over China’s lack of fair judicial process, religious repression and continued human rights abuses against the Tibetan people, including in the economic, social and cultural rights aspects.

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) notes that “profitable returns to the state are generated by high profit levels of monopoly state enterprises reliant on Tibetan raw materials as their primary inputs, obtained at prices below market rates . . . Transfer pricing is a systematic feature of the extraction of Tibet’s resources for Chinese use.” 

What is needed is meaningful consultation in which the people of Tibet are given adequate information, including all environmental assessment reports, on which to base an informed opinion as to whether the project is in their best interests. Consultations, for example in the form of public hearings, should engage all stakeholders and people should be free to express their dissent free from coercion.

Environment- Tibet, which China considers its “number one water tower,” provides water to ten downstream nations and is central to a global climate change solution. In addition to providing river water and monsoon rains to much of Asia, Tibet’s grasslands, if properly repaired, will serve as a carbon sink.

We urge G20 leaders to consider the following proposals:

1. Undertake independent, international scientific assessments of the changes in the Tibetan Plateau’s ecosystems, water resources and land use policies. The participation of scientists and relevant stakeholders from Tibet and those nations that depend on Tibet’s water is necessary for examination, analysis and interpretation of conditions on the plateau. This will facilitate an equitable and durable approach to adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change in the region, including ecosystem restoration and management of the plateau’s grasslands and forests.

2. Integrate the participation of Tibetans, especially nomads, in the decision-making and management of the plateau’s natural resources. Their experience is essential not only for understanding ecosystem changes, but also for addressing the threats of desertification and erosion. Government policies removing nomads from the grasslands are a misguided attempt to reduce desertification. There is scientific evidence that nomads’ management of the grasslands facilitates ecosystem stewardship and helps restore areas already degraded.

3. Encourage multilateral collaborative decision-making and governance of the Tibetan plateau’s water resources, including all regional and local stakeholders. Such cooperation will enhance the effectiveness of mitigation policies and promote equitable adaptation strategies that can reduce the risk of conflict over competition for water resources.

Tibet is indispensable to China’s ability to successfully implement global climate change solutions. We urge summit leaders to ensure that strategies to address climate change include stakeholders in Tibet, particularly nomads.

It’s time for G20 leaders to move beyond pro forma statements of support for Tibet in order to make real progress toward a fair and lasting resolution for the Tibetan people, their resources and environment and to make Tibet a substantive and results-oriented part of the agenda at the G20.

Sincerely,

Matteo Meccaci, INPaT Co-Chair, MP Italy
Thomas Mann, INPaT Co-Chair, MEP Germany
Consiglio Di Nino, INPaT Working Group, MP Canada
Birgitta Jonsdottir, INPaT Working Group, MP Iceland
Takam Sanjoy, INPaT Working Group, MP India
Peter Slipper, INPaT Working Group, MP Australia

For more information please contact:

Ms. Tsering Jampa
INPaT Secretariat Coordinator
Vijzelstraat 77
1017 HG Amsterdam
The Netherlands
T: +31 020 330 8265