Gold Mercury International President and Delegation Meet with The Tibet Fund in Dharamsala, India
Gold Mercury International’s President, Nicolas De Santis Cuadra, visited the offices of The Tibet Fund—the primary organisation supporting essential programmes for Tibetans both in exile and inside Tibet.
Sherab Woeser (top row, far right), Regional Field Director, and The Tibet Fund team with the Gold Mercury International delegation.
DHARAMSALA, INDIA, 1st April 2025 - As part of an official visit to Dharamsala, India, Nicolas De Santis Cuadra, President of Gold Mercury International, met with leadership and team members of The Tibet Fund, the primary organisation supporting critical programmes for Tibetans in exile and inside Tibet.
Founded in 1981 under the guidance of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, The Tibet Fund has played a vital role in sustaining the Tibetan community across borders by funding and implementing programmes that safeguard Tibetan identity and well-being. The organisation is the principal funding body for essential sectors including health, education, refugee rehabilitation, cultural preservation, and economic development.
During the meeting, Mr De Santis Cuadra expressed admiration for The Tibet Fund’s enduring mission and its effective collaboration with the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamsala. The Tibet Fund works closely with CTA departments of Finance, Health, Education, Home, and Religion and Culture to deliver impactful programmes that reach Tibetan refugees in settlements and scattered communities throughout India, Nepal, and Bhutan.
The Gold Mercury International delegation with Sherab Woeser, Regional Field Director of The Tibet Fund
During the visit, the delegation also discussed the potential impact of the elimination of USAID funding on The Tibet Fund’s programmes and the broader sustainability of critical services for the Tibetan community in exile and inside Tibet.
The meeting further strengthened the alignment between the missions of both organisations: to uphold human rights, protect vulnerable communities, and shape a more ethical and sustainable future.
Also present at the meeting was Sherab Woeser, Regional Field Director of The Tibet Fund, alongside members of the Fund’s dedicated team. The Gold Mercury delegation included university professor and author Dr Renuka Singh, author and film producer Sergio Scapagnini, and renowned jurist Ranjit Singh Walia.
This engagement with The Tibet Fund formed part of a broader mission by Gold Mercury International to honour His Holiness the Dalai Lama with the Gold Mercury Award 2025, and to reinforce support for the global Tibetan cause, peace, and cultural preservation.
The Tibet Fund invests in education and study programmes.
“The Tibet Fund stands as a powerful example of how strategic, values-driven philanthropy can preserve cultural identity, support human dignity, and sustain communities under threat,” said Nicolas De Santis Cuadra. “Their work directly reflects the principles of visionary leadership and ethical governance that we at Gold Mercury International strive to promote around the world.”
RELATED NEWS: His Holiness, Tenzyn Gyatso, The 14th Dalai Lama. Gold Mercury Award for Peace and Sustainability 2025.
About Gold Mercury International
Established in 1961, the Gold Mercury Award is one of the world’s most prestigious honours, recognising extraordinary individuals and organisations that advance global governance, sustainability, and Visionary Governance®. Previous recipients include global heads of state, US Presidents, Heads of International Organisations, scientists, artists, business and civil society leaders, and pioneering activists who have shaped the course of history in diverse global areas.
This award for the 14th Dalai Lama reaffirms Gold Mercury International’s commitment to promoting a planetary culture of peace and sustainability, in alignment with its vision of a more ethical, responsible, and forward-thinking global society.