cburenbayar• 23/07/2026• Executive Council Meetings

15th Executive Council Meeting of ABCP

The 15^th Meeting of the Executive Council of the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace (ABCP) was held on Wednesday, 17 January 2024, in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by Executive Council members representing national chapters across Asia, including Bangladesh (Chapters I & II), Sri Lanka (Chapters I & II), Vietnam (Chapters I & II), Mongolia (Chapters I & II), Russia (Chapters I & II), Lao PDR, the Republic of Korea, India, Nepal, Japan, and the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamsala.

Key leadership figures present from the ABCP Headquarters included His Eminence the 30^th Khamba Nomun Khan, Khansur Gabju D. Choijamts (President of ABCP), the Most Venerable Khunkhur Bymbajav (ABCP Secretary-General), Mr Khy Sovanaratna and Mr Sonam Wangchuk (Deputy Secretaries-General), and Mr Ch. Burenbayar (Senior Manager).

During the session, the Executive Council successfully discussed and adopted the official agenda for the upcoming 12^th General Assembly of the ABCP.

The Council members then reviewed the newly revised and edited draft of the ABCP Charter, which had been circulated by Headquarters to all National Centres on 10 December 2023. Prior to the meeting, by 10 January 2024, Headquarters had received formal feedback and amendments from the National Centres of India, Japan, South Korea, Nepal, and the Dashchoiling Monastery Chapter of Mongolia. Following a detailed summary presentation by Senior Manager Mr Ch. Burenbayar, the Executive Council carefully deliberated on these collective comments and suggestions to finalise the Charter text.

1. The meeting discussed and adopted the agenda of the 12th General Assembly of the ABCP.
2. Executive Council members then discussed the revised and edited version of the ABCP Charter. The revised and edited version of the Charter had been circulated by the ABCP Headquarters to all National Centres on 10 December 2023. By 10 January 2024, the ABCP Headquarters received comments and suggestions from the India, Japan, South Korea, Nepal, and Dashchoiling (Mongolia) National Centres. The Executive Council, during its meeting, discussed and considered these comments and suggestions received from the various National Centres. A presentation summarizing these submissions was made by the ABCP Headquarters Senior Manager, Mr Ch. Burenbayar.

During the review of the draft ABCP Charter, Executive Council members from Bangladesh, Vietnam, Nepal, and Sri Lanka raised key administrative matters concerning the scale of membership contributions, a newly proposed article on ABCP and Partnerships, and the regional rotation of the ABCP Presidency.

While the Executive Council acknowledged the foundational importance of membership fees, representatives from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka referenced deliberations from the 14^th Executive Council Meeting (held on 7–8 October 2023 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). They argued that annual contributions should be scaled dynamically rather than fixed, noting that several National Centres lack the financial capacity to meet a flat annual fee of 1,000 USD. No definitive resolution was reached; the matter remains open for future deliberation during the next Executive Council session following the formal adoption of the revised Charter text.

Conversely, the Executive Council strongly endorsed the initiative to forge strategic alliances with external individuals, academic institutions, and NGOs holding aligned objectives, aiming to foster collaboration for mutual benefit.

Regarding leadership succession, the Sri Lankan representative from the Sumanatissa Chapter reminded the Council of the organization’s historic foundation 54 years ago. The founders originally stipulated that the Presidency of the ABCP should remain permanently anchored in Mongolia, given that the international headquarters has been securely established in Ulaanbaatar since its inception. The representative stated that the National Centres strongly prefer to uphold this founding tradition, suggesting instead that the three distinct geographic regions of the ABCP fill the roles of Vice Presidents on a rotational basis. This historical proposal was unanimously supported by all present Executive Council members.

All present members supported the draft of the revised and edited Charter. The ABCP Headquarters was instructed to distribute the final revised and edited version of the ABCP Charter to all National Centres following its formal review and adoption by the 12^th General Assembly. Consequently, the 15^th Executive Council voted by a clear majority to endorse the draft Charter and formally recommended it to the General Assembly for consideration and approval.

The Executive Council then deliberated on an official application from Bhutan seeking full ABCP membership. Acknowledging Bhutan’s ancient Buddhist culture and its status as a prominent Buddhist nation, the Council unanimously approved the request and recommended that the General Assembly formally accept Bhutan as a member country.

Additionally, the Myanmar delegation attending the 12th General Assembly expressed a strong desire to join the ABCP. The Council noted that a formal, written application from Myanmar is still awaited; it was resolved that their admission will be officially evaluated as soon as the formal documentation is received.

To facilitate the final paperwork of the session, the Executive Council resolved to establish an Editorial Committee tasked with drafting the concluding declarations and final documents of the General Assembly. This Committee comprised representatives from the National Centres of India, Russia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.

Finally, Mr Sonam Wangchuk, representing the Indian National Centre, informed the Council that Venerable Jangchub Choeden had tendered his resignation from his post as Vice President of the ABCP, following his recent election as the Secretary-General of the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC). In light of Ven. Jangchub Choeden’s resignation, Mr Wangchuk proposed that Venerable Konchok Wangdu of India be appointed to fill the vacancy as Vice President of the ABCP for the remainder of the current tenure. The members of the Executive Council formally accepted and approved the nomination.

The meeting ended with a vote of thanks.

A general view of the 15^th ABCP Executive Council meeting in session

The opening of the 15^th ABCP Executive Council meeting (left to right): Mr. Sonam Wangchuk, Ven. B. Munkhbaatar, His Eminence the 30^thKhamba Nomun Khan, Khansur Gabju D. Choijamts, ABCP President, the Most Ven. Byambajav, ABCP Secretary General and Mr. C. Burenbayar