III 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 557 

Honoring the contributions of Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari as Special Envoy of 

His Holiness the Dalai Lama and in promoting the legitimate rights 

and aspirations of the Tibetan people. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 13, 2012 

Mr. KERRY (for himself, Mr. LUGAR, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. 

UDALL of Colorado, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. KIRK, Mr. MCCAIN, and Mrs. 

BOXER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012 

Committee discharged; considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the contributions of Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari as Special 

Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and in promoting 

the legitimate rights and aspirations of the Tibetan people. 

Whereas Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari, who was born in Nyarong, 

Kham in 1949, was recognized according to Tibetan 

Buddhist tradition as a reincarnate lama and began his 

monastic studies at 4 years of age in Lhumorhab Monastery, which was located in what is now Kardze Prefecture, Sichuan Province; 


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SRES 557 ATS 

Whereas, in 1958, 9-year-old Lodi Gyari fled Nyarong with 

his family to avoid pursuit by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and was said to have led his group to safety in India through prayer and divinations; 

Whereas Lodi Gyari, as a young man in India, began a career-long commitment to the Tibetan struggle against 

Chinese oppression in Tibet, becoming editor for the Tibetan Freedom Press, founder of the Tibetan Review, the 

first English language journal published by Tibetans in 

exile, and a founding member of the Tibetan Youth Congress; 

Whereas Lodi Gyari served as a civil servant in the Central 

Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 

as Chairman of the Tibetan Parliament in exile, and as 

a Deputy Cabinet Minister for the Departments of Religious Affairs and Health and Cabinet Minister for the 

Department of Information and International Relations; 

Whereas, in 1991, Lodi Gyari moved to the United States in 

the capacity of Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai 

Lama and was soon after selected to be President of the 

International Campaign for Tibet; 

Whereas, for 3 decades, Lodi Gyari has met with leaders and 

diplomats of governments around the world and with 

Members of the United States Congress and parliaments 

of other nations— 

(1) to explain the Tibetan position with regard to 

engagement with China; 

(2) to urge supportive strategies and policies from 

governments; 

(3) to explain the Dalai Lama’s ‘‘Middle Way’’ philosophy of seeking genuine autonomy for Tibet within the 


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People’s Republic of China that contributes to harmony 

between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples; and 

(4) to promote Tibetan statecraft as the Dalai 

Lama’s senior ambassador-at-large; 

Whereas, during his time as Special Envoy based in Washington, DC, Congress approved many policy and programmatic measures on Tibet, which served to institutionalize the Tibet issue within the Government of the 

United States, most notably the establishment of a Special Coordinator on Tibetan Issues within the Department of State and support for Tibetan refugees; 

Whereas, in 1999, Lodi Gyari became a United States citizen; 

Whereas in May 1998, His Holiness the Dalai Lama authorized Special Envoy Lodi Gyari to be the principal person 

to reestablish contact with the Chinese government on 

the Tibetan issue; 

Whereas, between September 2002 and January 2010, Lodi 

Gyari led the Dalai Lama’s negotiating team in 9 formal 

rounds of meetings with Chinese officials with tireless 

drive and immense skill, winning the respect of the international community; 

Whereas Lodi Gyari presented the Chinese government with 

the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan 

People and its accompanying Note, thus detailing the Tibetan side’s vision for a political solution for Tibet consistent within the framework of the Chinese constitutional and laws on autonomy; 

Whereas Lodi Gyari, in service to the Dalai Lama, came to 

represent in national capitals around the world, the great 


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hope and conviction that the rights of Tibetans could be 

protected and their repression could be ended. 

Whereas, in the personally and professionally difficult task of 

representing Tibetan interests in dialogue with the People’s Republic of China, Lodi Gyari demonstrated spirit, 

intelligence, and extraordinary tact, and brought civility, 

reason and a measure of mutual understanding to the Tibetan-Chinese relationship; 

Whereas Lodi Gyari has credited the far-sighted wisdom of 

His Holiness the Dalai Lama in empowering the Tibetan 

people by his devolution of his political authority to an 

elected Tibetan leadership; and 

Whereas, Lodi Gyari resigned his position, effective June 1, 

2012, in the context of the deteriorating situation inside 

Tibet, including increasing incidents of Tibetan self-immolations, and expressing deep frustration over the lack 

of positive response from the Chinese side in their nearly 

10-year dialogue, and in respect for the process of the 

devolution of political power to the elected Tibetan leaders. 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) honors the service of Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari 

3 as Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama; 

4 (2) commends the achievements of Lodi 

5 Gyaltsen Gyari in building an international coalition 

6 of support for Tibet that recognizes— 

7 (A) the imperative to preserve the distinct 

8 culture and religious traditions of Tibet; and 


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1 (B) that the Tibetan people are entitled 

2 under international law to their own identity 

3 and dignity and genuine autonomy within the 

4 People’s Republic of China that fully preserves 

5 the rights and dignity of the Tibetan people; 

6 (3) acknowledges the role of Lodi Gyaltsen 

7 Gyari, as a naturalized United States citizen, to pro8 moting understanding in the United States of the 

9 Tibetan people, their culture and religion, and their 

10 struggle for genuine autonomy, human rights, dig11 nity, and the preservation of unique linguistic, cul12 tural, and religious traditions; and 

13 (4) strongly supports a political solution for 

14 Tibet within the People’s Republic of China that sat15 isfies the legitimate grievances and aspirations of 

16 the Tibetan people. 

Æ 


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