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This picture taken on March 1, 2018 shows Tibetan Buddhist monks praying during a ceremony for Monlam, otherwise known as the Great Prayer Festival of Losar, the Tibetan New Year, at the Rongwo Monastery, in Tongren County, Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. Scores of monks and men heaved the enormous thangka -- an image of Buddha painted on silk, rolled up in a tight cylinder while in transit -- through the packed streets around Rongwo Monastery in China's northwestern province of Qinghai for a religious ritual wrapping up Losar, the Tibetan new year. [JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images)] JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images
HomeBureaus & Offices > Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs and Religious Freedom …Office of the U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues
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Office of the U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues

Our Mission

The Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues coordinates U.S. government policies, programs, and projects concerning Tibetan issues. The Special Coordinator works to advance six priorities by collaborating closely with Tibetan religious, cultural, and political leaders; the U.S. Congress; international allies and partners; and civil society representatives.

Our Priorities

The Special Coordinator’s six priorities are:

  • Advancing the human rights of Tibetans;
  • Helping the Tibetan community preserve its distinct religious, cultural, and linguistic identity;
  • Addressing the humanitarian needs of Tibetans, including Tibetan diaspora communities;
  • Increasing access to Tibet for U.S. diplomats and other officials, journalists, and tourists;
  • Promoting activities to protect the environment and water resources of the Tibetan plateau; and
  • Supporting resumption of dialogue, without preconditions, between the PRC and the Dalai Lama or his representatives.