Sec. 7. Sustainability in Tibetan communities seeking to preserve their culture, religion, and language
417 words·~2 min read·
/bill/116/s/2539/is/section-7A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress finds the following: Following the flight into exile of the Dalai Lama and tens of thousands of fellow Tibetans, the Government of India graciously granted land on which the Tibetan refugees could settle. Under the leadership of the Dalai Lama, Tibetan refugees established settlements in India, Nepalese, and Bhutanese monastic, cultural, and educational institutions for the purpose of preserving their religion, culture, and language until the time that they could return to Tibet.
Many of the Tibetan settlements are more than 50 years old, with aging infrastructure, challenging the capacity to absorb new refugees and provide modern services and gainful employment. The threats to Tibetan culture, religion, and language in the People’s Republic of China justify support for efforts by Tibetans outside China to preserve their heritage. Many long-staying Tibetans in Nepal have not received documentation that would provide legal resident status and allow them fuller access to educational opportunities and sustainable participation in the economy and society of Nepal.
It is United States policy to promote the human rights of the Tibetan people and the preservation of the distinct Tibetan cultural, religious, and linguistic heritage. The Dalai Lama has said that the Central Tibetan Administration will cease to exist once a negotiated settlement has been achieved that allows Tibetans to freely enjoy their culture, religion, and language in Tibet. Of the amount authorized to be appropriated for development assistance for fiscal year 2020, such sums as may be necessary are authorized to be available to support the preservation of Tibetan cultural, religious, and linguistic heritage, as well as the education, skills development, and entrepreneurship of Tibetans residing in settlements in South Asia, subject to review and approval of the United States Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues.
The Secretary of State shall urge the Government of Nepal to provide legal documentation to long-staying Tibetan residents in Nepal who fled a credible threat of persecution in Tibet, in order to allow them to more fully participate in the economy and society of Nepal. It is the sense of Congress that the Office of Tibet in Washington, DC, is the representative office in the United States of the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration. This section shall terminate on the date that is one year after the date on which the Secretary of State certifies to Congress that a negotiated settlement between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Dalai Lama or his representatives or Central Tibetan Administration representatives on Tibet has been concluded.