ICT Europe: Annual Reports & Financial Statements
2000 Annual Report
Message from the Director
I am pleased to share with you the work we have achieved in our first year as ICT-Europe. Building on the work of ICT in the U.S., we have set out to strengthen political awareness and support for Tibet in Europe and it has been an exciting and challenging task.
As part of the gradual and steady strengthening of a unified European Union, we have seen efforts in he past few years to formulate a cohesive EU policy on China. This policy is still taking shape and has been quite tenuous with regard to the ongoing and serious human rights violations in China and Tibet. The EU-China human rights dialogue, for example, has not delivered any substantial progress since its inception four years ago. ICT-Europe worked especially closely with the officials of the European Union Commission for External Affairs to secure support for human rights concerns in Tibet. We have also concentrated our work on developing parliamentarian efforts and activity. By fueling a more committed political drive in he governmental bodies of the EU,ICT-Europe is contributing to the work and momentum of other groups that bring recognition and support for the Tibetan cause.
Another key activity we have concentrated on is building a strong membership base. It is evident that there is genuine interest and willingness amongst European citizens to make a difference. Our first membership program in the Netherlands has surpassed all expectations by growing to 12,000 members by the year's end. It is now one of he largest Tibetan membership organizations in Europe. Not only necessary as a means of funding for our activities, our membership program is an essential part of our efforts to campaign for the fundamental freedoms of Tibetans. Our members are continually informed with updated information on issues affecting Tibet. Through our campaigns their voices are heard and help influence the international decision-making bodies and governments.
The Tibet movement often faces uphill international battles as seen this past year with the Karmapa's flight from Tibet to India in early January and the UN's failure to invite the Dalai Lama to its Millennium World Peace Summit of Spiritual Leaders due to pressure from China. With the establishment of ICT-Europe, we hope to help the movement forward by raising the level of support in the European and international platforms. As we saw with the World Bank's last minute withdrawal from its controversial project on the Tibet plateau, the International Campaign for Tibet, along with a large coalition of Tibetan, environmental and human rights organizations from all over the world, can make an important difference.
The positive response to ICT-Europe this past year by political institutions, organizations in he field and the people at large has been a source of inspiration, and we look back on the past year with a feeling of fulfillment and gratitude. We thank everyone who worked with us in 2000 and we look forward to continuing our work, ready to take on the new challenges of the coming year.
Tsering Jampa
Director
Advocacy And Lobbying
One of ICT-Europe's main activities is to foster the development of a unified and effective European Union policy on Tibet that advances the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Tibetan people. By facilitating a flow of information on Tibet and developing contact with members of the European Commission, the European Parliament, and national parliaments, ICT-Europe is helping to bring about effective and tangible change in support of the non-violent efforts of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.
Since the EU-China dialogue on human rights first began in 1997, there have been few substantive results. ICT-Europe has been monitoring the dialogue since early January, maintaining close contact with the senior official of the Office of the Commissioner for External Affairs. Together with other major human rights non-governmental organizations in Europe, ICT-Europe aims to help ensure that a pan-European foreign policy on China moves forward in a positive and progressive manner.
ICT-Europe worked closely especially with officials of the European Union Commission for External Affairs to highlight gross human rights violations in Tibet and to influence their efforts to formulate EU policy on China. National governments have often used the EU-China dialogue as an excuse not to address the human rights situation in China in their own bi-lateral talks and at the United Nations. ICT-Europe is addressing this trend by meeting with and encouraging individual government representatives to take up the issue of human rights in Tibet with Chinese leaders, emphasizing that an EU human rights dialogue with China should not foreclose other European bilateral or multilateral initiatives on human rights in China and Tibet.
Parliamentary Initiatives
The European Parliament has traditionally been an important force for human rights. As one of the main democratic institutions of the EU, it has always taken up urgent questions and adopted resolutions for action on Tibet. One of ICT-Europe's main focus in working with the Parliamentarians is to enhance inter-parliamentary dialogue and communication, both within Europe and between the U.S. Congress and European Parliaments to enable MPs to be more effective in their work for Tibet.
ICT-Europe's Director, Tsering Jampa, held regular briefings for the Inter Group for Tibet at the European Parliament. During the campaign to stop the World Bank from funding a major population transfer project onto the Tibetan plateau, ICT-Europe aggressively campaigned with the European Tibet Support Groups and environmental organizations against the recommendations of Bank Management. Within a week over 100 European parliamentarians signed on to a petition in support of our campaign. The support of MPs played an important role in the final decision, which forced China to withdraw.
In March, ICT-Europe together with the All Party Inter Group for Tibet (UK), organized a parliamentarian conference on Tibet in Brussels, Belgium. Fifteen countries were represented, with national parliamentarians from Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and members of the European Parliament participating. The US Special Coordinator for Tibetan issues, Mrs. Julia Taft, and two U.S. congressional aides also attended the conference. Mrs. Taft made a strong appeal to the European Union to adopt a unified approach to the Tibet issue and urged for better cooperation between American and European MPs in this effort. The conference resulted in the following recommendations and resolutions: a call for the European Union to co-sponsor a resolution on China at the 56th Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights, consensus to submit a resolution supporting His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Five Point Peace Plan to national parliaments, and a plan to lobby for an EU Special Coordinator for Tibet. ICT-Europe prepared a comprehensive report on the conference that was widely distributed.
United Nations
Efforts to participate effectively in the UN forum, in particular, at the Human Rights Commission, remained one of ICT-Europe's top priorities throughout 2000.During the 56th United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva ICT-Europe worked intensively urging governments from around the world to help in efforts to improve human rights in Tibet and vote for the resolution condemning China's records there. In addition, ICT-Europe organized major activities, including bringing ICT’s Board Chair, Richard Gere to Geneva to give briefings and meet with Commission members. ICT-Europe also hosted a screening of Tibet's Stolen Child. ICT-Europe was joined by ICT’s Lodi Gyari, John Ackerly and Mary Beth Markey for parts of the Commission. ICT-Europe Director, Tsering Jampa, also delivered an oral statement on the ongoing violations of the rights of Tibetan women at the Commission.
Prior to the 56th Session, ICT-Europe made a concerted effort to lobby the members of the European Parliament for their support of the United States-sponsored resolution on human rights in China. Tsering Jampa met regularly with MPs and senior officials from the Office of the Commissioner for External Affairs. A special campaign letter was distributed to Tibet Support Groups in Europe urging them to lobby their national MPs to support the aforementioned resolution. In February ICT-Europe and an NGO coalition including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, held a press conference in Brussels urging the European Union not to be blinded by the unproductive dialogue with China.
ICT-Europe has also been instrumental in providing over 60 Tibet groups in Europe with up-to-date information on the developments within the EU on the resolution. This year the ‘no-action'motion submitted by the Chinese government delegation passed by 4 votes, shelving the resolution by a narrow margin.
In another UN forum, ICT-Europe participated in the European Preparatory Conference for the UN World Conference Against Racism and Xenophobia, which will take place in September 2001 in South Africa.
Campaigns
Panchen Lama
The campaign for the release of Gendhun Choekyi Nyima was one of ICT-Europe's major campaigns in 2000.ICT-Europe launched a very successful special appeal campaign to its members in the Netherlands. In this special appeal, members were given pre-addressed postcards of the Panchen Lama with a message calling for his release, to be sent to the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, Mary Robinson. In September, a pan-European launch of the Free the Panchen Lama pacts took place at a gathering over 10,000 people during the teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Lerab Ling in France. ICT-Europe held screenings of the film Tibet's Stolen Child at gatherings ranging in size from a few dozen to tens of thousands of people.
Environmental Campaigns
In September, ICT launched its Environmental Rights Campaign, which is based on rights of Tibetans to be key decision-makers over issues critical to Tibet's environment such as population transfer, natural resource extraction and sustainable development.
World Bank
ICT-Europe joined a successful international coalition of Tibetan, environmental and human rights organizations to stop the World Bank from funding a major population transfer project onto the Tibetan plateau. Director Tsering Jampa joined an advocacy team to lobby World Bank Executive Directors in Washington, D.C. ICT-Europe coordinated a successful European parliamentarian campaign to write to the World Bank President, James Wolfensohn, urging him to release the Inspection Panel report. This concerted effort had a tremendous impact on the release of the Inspection Panel Report. It was the most in-depth and perhaps the most critical report the Inspection Panel had ever released. The report was the result of a claim filed by International Campaign for Tibet in 1999 alleging numerous violations of World Bank policy in preparing this project. Never before had a project been cancelled at this stage of the process when management and a large host country strongly endorsed it. At the 11th hour, the United States and Japan with some European support, forced China to withdraw. What was about to become a negative precedent of international funding for population transfer into Tibet had become a landmark victory for Tibetans.
Oil and Gas Development in Tibet
For the first time, western corporations are involved in a major resource extraction project in Tibet. BP and the Italian firm of ENI/Agip are both assisting PetroChina in drilling for oil and gas on the Tibetan plateau and the construction of the Sebei-Lanzhou gas pipeline. If allowed to continue, this project will remove petroleum from Tibet without benefit for Tibetans. ICT, as part of a diverse and powerful coalition of Tibetan, human rights, national security, and environmental groups, called on BP Amoco to divest from PetroChina or use its influence to stop construction of the controversial pipeline. BP is the largest foreign shareholder in PetroChina, which is the company building the pipeline,and the top investor in the Chinese oil industry. Reportedly begun in March 2000,this project could implicate Western corporations in ongoing human rights violations in Tibet. It would also increase Chinese presence in these areas and further consolidate China's control of the region and marginalize Tibetans in their own country.
In September, ICT-Europe met with officials of BP Amoco at BP's headquarters in London to give a briefing on the human rights situation in Tibet and urged BP to divest from PetroChina or use its influence to stop the controversial natural gas pipeline currently under construction in Tibet. ICT-Europe also initiated discussion with Tibet Support Groups and environmental organizations in Italy to launch a campaign against the Italian firm of ENI/AGIP.
Coalition Building
In its first year of existence, ICT-Europe has actively strengthened its relationships with existing Tibet-related organizations and major human rights organizations in Europe who share our concerns and ideals. In May, ICT-Europe participated in the international conference for Tibet Support Groups in Berlin. In July, Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji visited several European countries including the Netherlands and ICT-Europe, in cooperation with Tibet Support Group Netherlands and the Federation of Democracy in China, led a campaign of protest when the Chinese leader was meeting with the Dutch Prime Minister in The Hague. The protest was a part of a Europe-wide campaign against the Premier's tour of Europe to develop economic relations and was covered on television by the national evening news. The demonstrators also wanted to remind the European governments, media and public that China's continued policies of oppression in Tibet cause international outrage. On the 10th of December, International Human Rights Day, ICT-Europe co-hosted ‘Tibet Manifest 2000,’a cultural event inspired by the UN's declaration of the year 2000 as a celebration of the “Culture of Peace.”
In September, ICT-Europe,Tibet Support Group Netherlands and local Dutch action groups protested the development of a Chinese theme park to be built by the municipality of Zoetermeer and the Chinese government. Concern was voiced that, by doing business with the Chinese government in this joint-venture, the theme park effectively legitimizes the Chinese government’s occupation of Tibet for the last 50 years and its gross violations of Tibetans'human rights.
In addition, we have begun an education series in coordination with various international institutions and universities in the Netherlands to encourage the awareness about Tibet. As the first event of this series, the Association of Students of International Relations of the State University of Utrecht organized a Tibet Evening. ICT-Europe Director, Tsering Jampa, spoke on he current human rights and religious freedom situation in Tibet.
Membership
In December 2000,ICT-Europe surpassed its goal of 10,000 members and finished the year with 12,000 members in the Netherlands. ICT-Europe is one of the largest Tibetan membership organizations in Europe. Not only necessary as a means of funding for our activities, our membership program forms an essential part of our efforts to campaign for the fundamental freedoms for Tibetans. Our members are informed with up-to-date information on environmental, political and human rights issues affecting Tibetans, and through our campaigns, our members make their voices are heard consistently and effectively in the European Union, national European governments, at the UN, in corporate boardrooms and elsewhere. ICT-Europe intends to expand the membership program to other countries in Europe in the coming year.
The majority of ICT-Europe's funding comes from donations of ƒ100,-or less and 90%of all revenue received is directly from individual members. In 2000,no funding was received from corporations. In 2000,ICT-Europe continued to look for innovative ways to reach members and mobilize them to take action.
Publications
ICT-Europe published its first newsletter to members in the Netherlands. The localized newsletter gives ICT-Europe an opportunity to focus on information of regional interest. The newsletter will appear three times a year and will alternate with ‘Special Appeals.’ In addition, ICT-Europe contributed regularly to the Tibet Press Watch, which ICT publishes six times a year.
www.savetibet.org
The goal of ICT's website is to efficiently provide ICT resources to its members and the public on the web. Outreach capabilities through ICT’s website, www.savetibet.org, improved greatly in 2000. Moreover, ICT built a list-serve of more than 17,000 e-mail addresses and aggressively used it to further ICT campaigns. The website now has a Support ICT section, which includes ICT's online join form, financial statements, and monthly giving information. The website now has a ICT-Europe section, which includes ICT-Europe's mandate, major activities and articles from our Dutch Newsletter.
Financial Report
In our first fiscal year we have been quite successful in raising funds thanks to a successful membership program in the Netherlands and the support of ICT in the United States. In total, ICT-Europe raised ƒ636,924 with expenses amounting to ƒ361,529, leaving a surplus figure of ƒ271,910. We are pleased to report that 42% of our expenses were for programming, and 19% for administrative expenses. Approximately ƒ139,135 or 33% of our revenue was spent on fundraising, slightly above the 25% allowable by law as a foundation in the Netherlands. Donations from individual members constitute 99% of our income. In the future, we plan to continue our membership program in addition to finding new sources of income to carry out our goals.
You can download the PDF version of the 2000 Annual Report here.
