NED is honoring Penpa Tsering, President of the Central Tibetan Administration, with the Democracy Service Medal for his leadership defending democracy and human rights on behalf of all Tibetans.
Penpa Tsering is sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). He has dedicated his life to fighting for the rights of the Tibetan people and safeguarding the culture of Tibet as a civil society leader and politician. Penpa Tsering received his B.A. from Madras Christian College and was a member of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile for four consecutive terms, serving as speaker for two of those terms. Penpa Tsering also served as the executive director of the Tibetan Parliamentary and Policy Research Centre (TPPRC) as well as a representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the Office of Tibet in Washington, D.C. Since his election as the second democratically-elected sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration in 2021, Penpa Tsering has worked to strengthen the CTA’s governance, advocated for the Tibetan people in meetings with world leaders, and raised concerns about the Chinese Communist Party’s policies restricting Tibetans’ rights and culture. He has also worked tirelessly to secure the release of Tibetan political prisoners and pursued dialogue with the Chinese government.
