USAID to give $2M to support Tibetan settlements

WASHINGTON: US soon will announce another $ 2 mn to support Tibetan settlements in India, Nepal and Bhutan, a Obama Administration official has said.

"At the end of this month, the US Agency for International Development's India Mission will issue an award for a new $2 million, two-year programme to support Tibetan settlements in India, Nepal, and Bhutan," Maria Otero Undersecretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs said.

The new programme will support the development of organic agriculture for selected Tibetan settlements in India, Nepal and Bhutan and provide vocational training to Tibetan youth remaining in the settlements, she said.

" USAID anticipates the programme will result in increased economic opportunities which will encourage youth to remain in the settlements, strengthen community ties, and preserve cultural and linguistic traditions," Otero said yesterday at the Congressional Executive Commission on China (CECC) Roundtable on "The Dalai Lama: What He Means For Tibetans Today".

Strengthening Tibetan communities and preserving their extraordinary cultural and religious traditions have been at the center of the Dalai Lama's work, she said.

Obama Administration's point man for Tibetan issues, said despite many challenges, the US is committed to continuing its long-standing support for non-governmental organisations that work in ethnic Tibetan areas and assist Tibetan refugees in South Asia.

Both the State Department and the US Agency for International Development support cultural and linguistic preservation, sustainable development and environmental preservation in Tibet and Tibetan majority areas, as well as Tibetan refugee communities in other countries, through numerous programmes.

"In addition, the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration continues its long-standing support for Tibetan refugees through ongoing support to non- governmental organisations as well as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees," she said.

In fiscal year 2010, USD 3.5 million was provided to support reception services, education, healthcare, and water and sanitation for Tibetan refugees in South Asia, including new arrivals from China, Otero said.