Helsinki Foundation Urges UN Action on Tibetan Children

The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights hosted a side event during the 63rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on September 27, 2026. The discussion, attended by approximately 17 UN Member State representatives and various civil-society organizations, focused on the separation of Tibetan children from their families in residential boarding schools.

Speakers from the Tibet Action Institute and the International Campaign for Tibet detailed the erosion of Tibetan language, culture, and religious freedom. Thinlay Chukki, Representative of the Dalai Lama, urged UN mechanisms to engage with Chinese authorities to secure access to Tibet for independent scrutiny of the situation.

Chukki also highlighted the disappearance of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama, and called for international efforts to determine his well-being.