United States: On 12 December, Sikyong commenced his day with an important meeting with Richard R. Verma, the United States Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources. During the discussion, Verma inquired about the health of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, particularly following his recent knee surgery. With his prior experience as the U.S. Ambassador to India, Verma demonstrated a deep understanding of Tibetan issues.
This meeting was succeeded by another pivotal engagement with Uzra Zeya, the U.S. Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, as well as the US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. The hour-long meeting was attended by Representative Namgyal Choedup, Alison Bartel, Senior Advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary and representatives from PRM (The Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration) and DRL (Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor). During this interaction, Sikyong thanked Under Secretary Zeya for her unwavering support and commitment to the Tibetan cause.
Following this, Sikyong Penpa Tsering attended the landmark event, “Monlam Grand Tibetan Dictionary: Modern Technology for Ancient Wisdom,” where Geshe Lobsang Monlam presented the 223-volume Monlam Grand Tibetan Dictionary: the largest dictionary in the world to the American people through the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. In his address, Geshe Monlam highlighted the transformative role of AI in preserving and advancing the Tibetan language and its rich cultural heritage.
Later in the day, Sikyong also held a meeting with the majority and minority staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, furthering discussions on matters of human rights and Tibetan cause.