The Australia Tibet Council (ATC) is an independent, non-profit Australian organisation working to promote the human rights and democratic freedoms of the Tibet

Tibet

Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...

an people. ATC is funded solely by members and supporters. The organisation's headquarters are in Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

.

The council undertakes a range of campaigns and advocacy work including promoting support for negotiations between the Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...

 and the Chinese government

Government of the People's Republic of China

All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...

 to reach a resolution to the Tibet situation; promotion of religious and cultural freedom and human rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

, particularly in the case of Tibetan political prisoners; and the protection of the Tibetan environment and the prevention of the inappropriate exploitation of Tibetan resources.

A particular focus of the ATC is lobbying the Australian Government with regard to opening up dialog with China about the situation in Tibet.

Following public campaigns led by the ATC, the former Australian Prime Minister

Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

, John Howard

John Howard

John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....

, has met the Tibetan leader twice, in 1996 and 2007. The ATC has lobbied political leaders on both sides of Australian politics to support greater autonomy for Tibet.

The ATC states that it works to achieve the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 resolution 1723 of 1961 calling for "the cessation of practices which deprive the Tibetan people of their fundamental human rights and freedoms, including their right to self-determination"http://www.tibet.com/Resolution/un61.html. It claims to do this by raising awareness of the situation in Tibet at all levels of Australian society, by encouraging government and community leaders to take positive action, and by supporting appropriate Australian and international initiatives.http://www.atc.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=8&id=48&Itemid=61

ATC liaises with the Tibetan Government-in-Exile located in Dharamsala

Dharamsala

Dharamshala or Dharamsala is a city in northern India. It was formerly known as Bhagsu; it is the winter seat of government of the state of Himachal Pradesh and the district headquarters of the Kangra district....

, and is a member of the International Tibet Support Network

International Tibet Support Network

The International Tibet Network, established in 2000, is a global coalition of Tibet-related non-governmental organisations. Its purpose is to maximise the effectiveness of the worldwide Tibet movement...

http://www.tibetnetwork.org/, a global network of Tibet support groups.