Mr. Tashi Phuntsok is the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for the EU and Western Europe, based in Brussels. He took office in 2016. As a teacher, social advocate and diplomat, he has dedicated nearly 40 years of his life in the service of the Tibetan community and served the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in various capacities. During his first office as the Director of the Africa & Middle East Desk under the Department of Information and International Relations, CTA, he played a pivotal role in arranging His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s maiden visit to South Africa and his meeting with President Nelson Mandela in 1996. Later he established the Office of Tibet in Pretoria in 1997 and served there until 2001 as the Representative. Mr Phuntshok’s other notable diplomatic role includes the Representative for Office of Tibet in Brussels and Paris from 2001 to 2005. His other administrative roles were the Secretary in the Department of Information International Relations, Director of Tibetan Homes Foundation, Mussoorie, and Chief Representative of Southern Tibetan Settlements.