The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) held a deliberative dialogue on China’s report on the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in Geneva on August 10 and 13, 2018. Dr. Loden, a member of the Chinese government delegation and deputy dean at the Tibet Institute of Socialism, said at the meeting that current economy in Tibet is developing in a good and fast way, people’s livelihoods continue to improve, the ecological environment is doing well, national unity is progressing, and people of all ethnic groups live and work in peace in a harmonious and stable society.

Dr. Loden said that in Tibet, Tibetan Buddhism, Islam, and Catholicism coexist and there are 1,787 places for religious activities and more than 46,000 monks and nuns in monasteries. Large-scale folk religious activities such as circumambulating holy mountains and lakes, the Sagadawa festival, and display of Buddha Thangkas are well protected and inherited. 

He said that just a few days ago, the week-long 2018 Lhasa Shoton Festival officially opened. “Early in the morning, my Tibetan and Han friends from different backgrounds were sending me photos from the unveiling of Buddha thangka at the incense-filled Drepung Monastery. They all said that the atmosphere of the whole event was very good and orderly. In the past few days, they’ve gone to the Norbu Lingka and Dzongjiao Lukang Park to watch Tibetan opera performances and appreciate the charm of intangible cultural heritage.”  

He added, “Last month, the Tibet Institute of Socialism and the regional Department of Culture jointly organized a training course for inheritors of intangible cultural heritage. We invited experts and scholars to give lectures on policies, laws, and business knowledge on cultural industry developments, preservation of intangible cultural heritage, and ecological protection, helping them to make their cultural enterprises stronger.

Editor:Yanina