Deputy Secretary General
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ABCP DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERALS
The Asian Buddhists conference for Peace, at present, has two Deputy Secretary Generals. According to Article 12.1 of the ABCP Charter,
the organization shall have three Deputy Secretary Generals, one each from the three ABCP regions of South Asia, South East Asia and North East Asia and the Pacific.
The mandate of the Deputy Secretary Generals is to support the daily activities of the ABCP Headquarters and also temporarily perform the duties of the Secretary General in the absence of the latter.
ABCP DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL MR. SONAM WANGCHUK SHAKSPO (INDIA)
Mr. Sonam Wangchuk Shakspo was born
in the Himalayan region of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, India in 1956. After completing his elementary education in Ladakh, he joined the Vishesh Kendriya Vidyalaya in New Delhi. A graduate from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, he obtained diploma in Tibetan language at the Delhi University. He later studied Russian at the University of Tashkent, USSR and Mongolian language in Ulaanbaatar.
From 1979-89, he worked for the National Commission for Minorities, Government of India, New Delhi. From 1990-2000 Mr. Sonam Wangchuk Shakspo served as a diplomat at the Embassy of India in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
He was witness to the historic transformation that took place in 1990 following the collapse of communism in Mongolia and also the subsequent democratic process there.
Working with Ven. Kushok Bakula Rinpoche as his Private Secretary, Mr. Wangchuk has visited USSR on several occasions and witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the rise of People’s Republic of China.
A Buddhist activist and environmental enthusiast, he has travelled extensively and over the years he has visited USA, Europe, and many countries in Asia including Japan, South Korea, DPR Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and South Asian countries.
Mr. Wangchuk has authored several books and many articles. His most recent book “Kushok Bakula Rinpoche – The Architect of Modern Ladakh’ was launched by H.H. The Dalai Lama on 31 March
2018 at Dharamsala, India.
He is associated with several international organizations, including the Asian Buddhists Conference for Peace (ABCP) in Mongolia, Buddhist Summit (BS) in Japan, Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) in the United Kingdom and the International
Association of Mongol Studies (IAMS), Mongolia.
He is presently working as Director General of Pethub Buddhist Center in Mongolia and is the Deputy Secretary General of the Asian Buddhists Conference for Peace.
He lives in New Delhi, India with his wife and two sons.
ABCP DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL DR. KHY SOVANRATANA (CAMBODIA)
Dr. Khy Sovanratana, when he was a monk, first completed
Pali and Buddhist Studies in Cambodia, after which he received a scholarship to study in Sri Lanka. In 2001, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Buddhist Studies from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. In 2003, he obtained his Master of Arts degree in Buddhist Philosophy with a Distinction Pass from the Post Graduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies, University of Kelaniya. The same year, he was appointed a Lecturer in Buddhist Philosophy
at Preah Sihanoukraja Buddhist University, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
In 2005, after one-year training, he received a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education and Pedagogy from the National Institute of Education, Phnom Penh. In 2009, he received a Diploma in Administration from Royal School of Administration in Phnom Penh. In 2011, he obtained another Master of Arts degree in Public Law from the Royal University of Law and Economics, Phnom Penh. In 2012, having won a scholarship from the Indian Government, he
completed his Ph.D in Buddhist Studies at the Delhi University, India.
In recognition of his works and scholarly activities, the King of Cambodia in 2003 conferred on him several ecclesiastical titles in the Supreme Sangha Council of Cambodia.
In August 2023 he was appointed the Secretary of State of Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and International Cooperation of the Government of the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia to become a layman.
