His Excellency Ban Ki-moon,
United Nations Secretary General,
760 United Nations Plaza,
17 September 2009
Dear Mr. Secretary General,
We applaud your leadership, in this age of climate change, in bringing together world leaders in
No less important in any agreement in
In this light, we would like to draw your attention to the plight of Tibet's 2.25 million nomads, whose culture and sustainable livelihoods are gravely threatened on the one hand by the impact of climate change across Tibet[1], the Earth's Third Pole, and on the other by China's policies of forcibly removing them from the vast grasslands of the Tibetan plateau.
As you know, under Chinese occupation, Tibetans are being denied their fundamental right to make their own choices concerning how best to adapt to climate change. The impact of climate change combined with the repressive political system across
According to Western, Tibetan, and even Chinese experts,
We are therefore greatly encouraged that, amidst the many challenges of negotiations on greenhouse gas emissions, you have not forgotten those peoples being severely impacted by climate change. We specifically note your recent meetings with nomadic herders in
Tibetan nomads have long lived in harmony with nature, combining sound livelihood practices and a deep religious devotion to assure not only their own well-being in the harsh and fragile environment of the Tibetan plateau, but also assuring the stability of Tibet’s ecosystem services which Asia, including China, have for so long depended upon.
Yet, without international pressure, the Chinese government will continue, under the guise of conservation, to remove
We appeal to you directly to raise this urgent issue with Chinese President Hu Jintao, and to use your good offices to urge the government of
We urge that you press
1. Halt the removal of Tibetan nomads from the grasslands and return stewardship of
2. Halt all land uses that threaten the Tibetan Plateau's ecosystems, ecosystem services and water resources.
3. Press
Finally, we welcome your assurances that the world’s most vulnerable people will receive assistance for adaptation, but we ask for your personal guarantee that the United Nations will not provide China with any funds that will be used to pay for the removal of Tibet’s nomads from the grasslands and condemn them to a life of despair, with the loss of their culture, livelihood and very way of life.
We wish your summit every success and look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
169 member organizations of the International Tibet Support Network.
[1] When referring to