22 March 2016
To: Foreign and Environment Ministers of the Governments of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam.
cc Mrs Irina Bokova, Director General, UNESCO; UNFFCC
Your Excellencies,
We are writing to you on World Water Day 2016 to share our serious concerns about the impact of China’s policies on Asia’s regional water security, with particular concern for its dramatic dam-building programme in Tibet, and to urge your governments to join together to press China to enter into further, binding and appropriate water-sharing agreements.
Tibet is the source of most of Asia’s great rivers, and there are an estimated 1.4 billion people who depend upon them across 11 large downstream nations. Their livelihoods are threatened not only by China’s aspirations for dam building but also by the serious impacts of climate change, that are affecting the flow of these rivers through melting glaciers and shifting precipitation patterns. Maintaining water security in the face of climate change will depend, among other things, on the effective trans-boundary management of Tibet’s rivers.
China is building dams on a grand scale, and its current Five-Year Plan (2016 – 2020) includes an intensified build-up of hydropower dams on all major Tibetan rivers. The intention to build many more dams along Tibet’s rivers has striking implications for downstream nations, as well as significant risks for such a fragile and significant high-altitude plateau.
By claiming authority over the Asia’s rivers, China is wielding considerable power, and we believe that it is critical that neighbouring countries work to strengthening the transboundary dialogue. In November 2015 Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam joined with China to launch a landmark agreement concerning cross-border cooperation on hydropower and water management on the Mekong River. However, much more needs to be done to encourage transparency over dam building and shared water management for all downstream nations. Previous to this agreement China had been disinclined to sign any water treaties or set up river basin organisations. And while the new Mekong cooperation mechanism isn’t a river basin organisation or treaty it does show a precedent for China to join more active dialogue on regional water resource management and cooperation. With this in mind we urge you to act now to secure your future water supplies, by joining together with your counterparts in other nations downstream of the Tibetan plateau, and bring China to the negotiating table to sign appropriate regional and international water-sharing agreements.
The importance of transboundary waters to individual states is embodied in the interdependencies created by such shared resources. This cannot be understated – now more than ever – as access to freshwater supplies globally face increasing challenges, including skyrocketing demand, climate change, over and inefficient use of water resources and pollution. However, despite the extent of shared water resources globally and the obvious importance, there are no international legally binding treaties in force today. Existing treaties take the form of bilateral or multilateral agreements usually to provide governance in relation to a particular river basin.
We urge your government to push for a moratorium on the building of large dams on the Tibetan Plateau, and – in partnership with other downstream nations – to support an independent, international scientific assessment of the changes in the Tibetan plateau’s water resources. We request your support in pressing China to revise its data sharing policy; data that would be very beneficial for downstream countries in various ways, including improving adaptability to possible short-term changes in water flow volumes.
Lastly we urge you to make a joint public statement to express concerns over the unsustainable development of Tibet’s water resources and the governance of rivers arising from Tibet, on the basis of the plateau and beyond being considered a vital water-shed area.
VYours faithfully,
Ms Lobsang Yangtso, Tibet Third Pole Campaign Coordinator,
International Tibet Network Secretariat, on behalf of Member Groups of the International Tibet Network:
| Western Europe:Aide aux Refugies Tibetains
Association Dorje Association Drôme Ardèche-Tibet Associazione Italia-Tibet Autodétermination-Tibet 09/31 Briancon05 Urgence Tibet Caisse d’Aide aux Prisonniers Tibetains Casa del Tibet – Spain Comite de Apoyo al Tibet (CAT) Comite de Soutien au Peuple Tibetain (Les Lilas) Corse – Tibet Eco-Tibet France EcoTibet Ireland France-Tibet Groupe Non-Violent Louis Lecoin, France Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete, Portugal International Society of Human Rights, Munich Chapter (IGFM) Jamtse Thundel Association La Porte du Tibet, Geneva Les Amis du Tibet – Belgium Les Amis du Tibet Luxembourg Lions Des Neiges Mont Blanc, France Lungta Association Belgium Maison des Himalayas Maison du Tibet – Tibet Info Nos Amis de l’Himalaya Objectif Tibet Passeport Tibetain Phagma Drolma-Arya Tara Reseau International des Femmes pour le Tibet Save Tibet, Austria Society for Threatened Peoples International Students for a Free Tibet – France Students for a Free Tibet – UK Swiss Tibetan Friendship Association (GSTF) Tibet 59 / 62 Tibet Democratie Tibet Initiative Deutschland Tibets Kinder im Exile V. Tibet Liberte Solidarite Tibet Libertes, France Tibet Society, U.K. Tibet Support Group – Ireland Tibet Support Group – Netherlands Tibet Unterstutzung Liechtenstein Tibetaanse-Vlaamse Vriendenkring vzw Tibetan Association of Germany Tibetan Community Austria Tibetan Community in Britain Tibetan Community in Ireland Tibetan Community of Italy Tibetan Youth Association in Europe TSG Free Tibet And You Tsowa-Maintenir la Vie, France Association of Free Tibet Denmark Friends of Tibet in Finland Swedish Tibet Committee The Norwegian Tibet Committee Tibet Support Committee Denmark Tibetan Community in Denmark Tibetan Community Sweden Students for a Free Tibet Denmark Fair Society o.s. Friends of Tibet Society St. Petersburg, Russia International Youth Human Rights Group – Human Rights in Tibet Polish Movement for a Free Tibet Save Tibet Foundation Society for Croatia-Tibet Friendship Students for a Free Tibet, Poland The Foundation for Civil Society, Russia Tibet cesky (Tibet in Czech) Tibet Support Association – Hungary Tibet Support Group – Krasnodar Region, Russia Tibet Support Group – Romania Tibet Support Group – Sochi Region, Russia Tibetan Association of Slovakia Tibetan Community in Poland Tibetan Programme of The Other Space Foundation TSG – Slovenia/Podporo Union Latvija Tibetai Zida Cels, Latvia Israeli Friends of the Tibetan People Tibet Support Group Kenya |
North America:Association Cognizance Tibet, North Carolina
Bay Area Friends of Tibet Boston Tibet Network Canada Tibet Committee Colorado Friends of Tibet Committee of 100 for Tibet Dhokam Chushi Gangdruk International Tibet Independence Movement Northwest Tibetan Cultural Association San Diego Friends of Tibet Santa Barbara Friends of Tibet Sierra Friends of Tibet Students for a Free Tibet Students for a Free Tibet – Canada The Tibetan Alliance of Chicago The World Tibet Day Foundation Tibet Committee of Fairbanks Tibet Justice Center Tibetan Association of Ithaca Tibetan Association of Northern California Tibetan Association of Philadephia Tibetan Association of Santa Fe Tibetan Association of Southern California Tibetan Cultural Association – Quebec TIBETmichigan Toronto Tibet Youth Congress United Nations for a Free Tibet (UNFFT) U.S. Tibet Committee Western Colorado Friends of Tibet Wisconsin Tibetan Association Amigos de Tíbet Chile Amigos del Tíbet, El Salvador Asociación Cultural Peruano Tibetana Asociación Cultural Tibetano – Costarricense Casa Tibet México Centro De Cultura Tibetana – Brazil Grupo Pro-Cultura Tibetana, Chile Le Club Francais – Paraguay Tibet Group-Panama Tíbet Mx Tíbet Patria Libre, Uruguay Fundación Pro Tibet – Argentina Friends of Tibet in Costa Rica World League for Freedom and Democracy Anterrashtriya Bharat – Tibbet Sahyog Samiti Bharrat Tibbat Sahyog Manch, India Circle of Friends (Philippines) Core Group for Tibetan Cause, India Foundation for Universal Responsibility of H. H. the Dalai Lama Gannasamannay Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet Himalayan Committee for Action on Tibet India Tibet Friendship Society Japan Association of Monks for Tibet (Super Sangha) Japan Committee of 100 for TIbet Lung-Ta Project Mahatma Gandhi Tibet Freedom Movement National Campaign for Tibetan Support, India National Democratic Party of Tibet Ns3 Rigpa Community Builder’s Foundation Raise Tibetan Flag Campaign Roof of the World Foundation, Indonesia Students for a Free Tibet – Japan Students for a Free Tibet – India Students for a Free Tibet – Bangladesh Taiwan Friends of Tibet Taiwan Tibet Exchange Foundation Tibbat Desh Patrika Tibet Lives, India Tibet Solidarity Forum, Bangladesh Tibet Support Group Kiku, Japan Tibet Support Network Japan Tibetan Student Association, Madras (TSAM) Tibetan Rights and Freedom Committee (TRFRC) Tibetan Women’s Association (Central) Tibetan Youth Congress Youth Liberation Front of Tibet, Eastern Turkestan, Manchuria & Inner Mongolia (YLFTM) A.C.T. Tibet Support Group Australia Tibet Council Australian Tibet House Inc. Friends of Tibet New Zealand Sakya Trinley Ling Students for a Free Tibet – New Zealand Tibet Action Group of Western Australia Tibet Support Group Adelaide – Australia Tibetan Community of Australia (Victoria) Tibetan Women Association and Friends Australia (TWAFA) |
International Tibet Network Head Office: 1310 Fillmore Street, Suite 401, San Francisco, CA 94115 US
