Dalai Lama hails Nobel Prize committee for promoting freedom, democracy

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama congratulated the winners of this year's Nobel Peace Prize and said that by recognizing these awardees, the committee had shone a light on the importance of civil societies in promoting the fundamental human values of peace, freedom and democracy.

On Friday, the Royal Swedish Academy jointly awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize to human rights advocate Ales Bialiatski from Belarus, the Russian human rights organisation Memorial and the Ukrainian human rights organisation Center for Civil Liberties.

In his congratulatory message, Dalai Lama said that each awardee has recognized that all human beings have a right to freedom.

"By recognizing their contribution, the Nobel Committee has shone a clear light on the importance of civil society in promoting fundamental human values of peace, freedom and democracy," the Tibetan spiritual leader said in a statement.

"Of the many problems we face today," His Holiness continued, "some are natural calamities and must be accepted and faced with equanimity. Others are of our own making, created by misunderstanding and can be corrected. Among these problems are those that arise from a conflict of ideology, political or religious, when people fight each other for petty ends, losing sight of the basic humanity that binds us all together as a single human family."

He further said that the value of democracy, open society, respect for human rights, and equality are recognized as universal values.

The Tibetan leader said that democracy gives greater space for citizen to express their basic human qualities. "Where these basic human qualities prevail, there is also a greater scope for strengthening democracy. Most importantly, democracy is also the most effective basis for ensuring world peace," he added.

Dalai Lama said that the rich diversity of cultures and religions should help to strengthen fundamental human rights in all communities. He also said that this diversity is the basic human principle that binds all people together in the oneness of humanity.

"The question of human rights is so fundamentally important that there should be no difference of views about it. We all have common human needs and concerns. We all seek happiness and try to avoid suffering regardless of our race, religion, gender or social status," Dalai Lama added.

"I welcome the three recipients of this year's Nobel Peace Prize to the fellowship of Nobel Peace Laureates. It is my hope that this award will serve as an inspiration for all, reminding us that addressing problems through dialogue and with humanity will bring all parties to a happy and mutually beneficial solution," he said as quoted by the statement.