Washington, DC — The Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County, California, has passed a resolution declaring the birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama as Peace and Justice Day. The resolution "recognises the Dalai Lama for a lifelong commitment and outstanding contribution to the promotion of nonviolence, human rights, religious tolerance, environmental awareness, and democracy".
The Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County, California, USA, passed a resolution on July 11, 2023, declaring the birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama as Peace and Justice Day. The resolution recognises the outstanding contributions of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the promotion of non-violence, human rights, tolerance, harmony and respect among the world's religions, environmental awareness and democracy throughout the world, as well as his efforts to preserve the rich and unique cultural, religious, historical and linguistic heritage of the Tibetan people, and much more.
The resolution stated," the 14th Dalai Lama, a happy 88th birthday on July 6, 2023, and recognizing the outstanding contributions His Holiness has made to the promotion of nonviolence, human rights, interfaith dialogue, environmental awareness, and democracy."
"His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama turns 88, on July 6, 2023, having been born in eastern Tibet in 1935; and WHEREAS, for over 60 years, His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, has significantly advanced greater understanding, tolerance, harmony, and respect among the religious faiths of the world," it continues.
The resolution explained, "The Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 in recognition of his efforts to seek a peaceful resolution to the situation in Tibet and to promote nonviolent methods for resolving conflict; and
the Dalai Lama was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 in recognition of his many enduring and outstanding contributions to peace, nonviolence, human rights, and religious understanding."
"The Dalai Lama has led the effort to preserve the rich and unique cultural, religious, historical, and linguistic heritage of the people of Tibet while working to safeguard other endangered cultures throughout the world. The 14th Dalai Lama has devolved the traditional role of the Dalai Lama as the political head of the Tibetan government, and his own responsibilities within the Central Tibetan Administration, in favor of the democratically elected leadership of Tibetans in exile, while continuing to travel and speak as a spiritual leader for the people of Tibet," it added.
"The Dalai Lama, together with leading environmentalists, has been gravely concerned by the degraded state of the environment of Tibet and the consumption of the natural resources of Tibet, including freshwater, because the degradations have implications not only for the people of Tibet, but for the whole of Asia," the resolution stated.
"The people of the United States, including Tibetan Americans residing in Richmond, have come to regard the Dalai Lama as a leading figure of moral and religious authority," the resolution mentioned.
'Therefore, the Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County recognises the Dalai Lama for a lifelong commitment and outstanding contribution to the promotion of nonviolence, human rights, religious tolerance, environmental awareness, and democracy and acknowledges the Dalai Lama for using moral authority to promote the concept of universal responsibility as a guiding tenet for how human beings should treat one another and the planet that all human beings share,' the resolution concluded.
The resolution was adopted with the efforts of Tenzin Rangdol, a Tibetan activist and member of V-TAG, and Bhuchung Tsering, from the International Campaign for Tibet.
