Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness the Dalai Lama

The Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a nonprofit organization established with the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the 14th Dalai Lama in 1989.^[1]: 42 According to its website, "the Foundation brings together men and women of different faiths, professions and nationalities, through a range of initiatives and mutually sustaining collaborations."^[2]

Rajiv Mehrotra is a Trustee/Secretary of the Foundation.

Purpose

The Dalai Lama laid out the purpose of the foundation as:

This foundation will implement projects according to Tibetan Buddhist principles to benefit people everywhere, focusing especially on assisting non-violent methods, on improving communication between religion and science, on securing human rights and democratic freedoms, and conserving and restoring our precious Mother Earth.^[3]

Programs

Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP) is an initiative of the Foundation.^[4] The program focuses on women's empowerment in the realm of diplomacy. Men and women receive training through seminars and a summer program. The initiative partners with institutions of higher education such as the Shri Ram College of Commerce to conduct these trainings.^[5] WISCOMP also conducts initiatives for peacebuilding in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as between India and Pakistan.^[6][7]

Other programs include the production of books and films and events such as pilgrimages and film festivals.^[1]: 43 The organization also partners with the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University, the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformation of Human Values at MIT, the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education, and the Dalai Lama Foundation.^[8]

Criticism

Scholar Lukasz Swiatek suggests that the foundation is part of a wider effort by Nobel Peace Prize laureates to exert "soft power" in support of their missions. In turn, the credibility of the Dalai Lama himself is enhanced. Swiatek argues that these efforts often go beyond their founders' original intent, however. WISCOMP, for example, marked a departure from Buddhist principles through its use of "innovative and experiential pedagogies." He also criticized the foundation for its lack of financial transparency. As of 2012, the only financial statement posted on the organization's website was dated 2009-2010.^{[1]: 43–45}

References

1. Swiatek, Lukasz (2019). "Funded by philanthropy, founded for activism: Nobel Peace Prize laureates and their organisations' political endeavours". In Farrell, Nathan (ed.). The Political Economy of Celebrity Activism. London: Routledge. pp. 35–49. ISBN 9781138675681.
2. "About". Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
3. 14th Dalai Lama. "The Foundation for Universal Responsibility". Furhhdl.org. Retrieved 2023-09-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
4. "WISCOMP Saahas Awards Honour Youth Countering Violence Against Women". NDTV. Edited by Shihabudeen Kunju S. 16 March 2017. from the original on 4 May 2017. Retrieved 2019-01-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
5. Schukoske, Jane E.; Sewak, Manjri (2003). "Track Five Diplomacy: Roles for Higher Educational Institutions in Conflict Transformation". In Rahman, Mizanur (ed.). Human Rights and Globalization. Dhaka: Empowerment through Law of the Common People : Distributor, Palal Prokashoni. pp. 96–97. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1430465. OCLC 62728756.
6. Banerjee, Paula (2008). Women in Peace Politics. Delhi: SAGE Publications India. p. 65. ISBN 9788178299686.
7. Dasgupta, Arko (8 September 2012). . The Express Tribune Blogs. Archived from the original on 30 October 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
8. Giri, Ananta Kumar (2023). The Calling of Global Responsibility. London: Routledge. pp. 113–114. ISBN 9780367365035.

Further reading

• Farrell, Nathan, ed. (2019) The Political Economy of Celebrity Activism. United Kingdom: Routledge. ISBN 978-1138675681.
• Gyari, L. G. (2022). The Dalai Lama's Special Envoy: Memoirs of a Lifetime in Pursuit of a Reunited Tibet. United States: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0231206488.
• Panikkar, R. (2016). "Universal Responsibility", Christianity: Opera Omnia Vol. III.2, A Christophany. United States: Orbis Books. ISBN 978-1608336357. pp. 53–62.

External links

• Official website