13. Jul 2009
US to fund programmes to help Tibetans inside Tibet and in exile
(Tibetcustom) The US Congress has advanced legislation that provides millions of dollars for Tibet programmes. The funding is provided in the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations bill for the fiscal year 2010. The House of Representatives passed its version of the bill on 09 July by a vote on 318-106; the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its version on the same day. Programmes funded in the bills include: grants to NGOs to support sustainable development and cultural traditions on the Tibetan plateau; humanitarian assistance for Tibetan refugees; new funding to modernise refugee settlements in India and Nepal through organic agriculture and workforce development; Tibetan exchange and scholarship programmes; and democracy assistance. The bills also fund the office of the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues at the State Department, and provide funding for Tibetan broadcasting by Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Voice of America (VOA).