The Dalai Lama is to speak at a conference in Derry next month on child victims of war.
The Buddhist spiritual leader will make the keynote address at an event to mark the tenth anniversary of NGO, Children in Crossfire.
Dalai Lama at a concert in Belfast during his October 2000 visit, Irish Times/Dara MacDomhnaill.
The Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso (72) is a personal friend of the founder and director of Children in Crossfire, Richard Moore.
Mr Moore was blinded as a 10-year-old boy by a British soldier's bullet as he walked home from school in 1972.
Other speakers at the conference entitled A Promise for the Futureon July 17th and 18th include Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern, veteran journalist Fergal Keane and Human Rights Watch chairperson, Jane Olson.
A spokesperson for the event said today: "The conference is made up of a variety of workshops on different issues relating to the rights of children.
"Delegates from a wide variety of sectors will get the opportunity to exchange experiences and engage in critical dialogue."
Children in Crossfire works on local projects in 12 countries worldwide including Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi and Nigeria.
It supports initiatives that improve the daily lives of people with greater income-earning opportunities, improved health facilities and clean water supplies.
Meanwhile, former US president Jimmy Carter is to address the 9th Annual NGO Forum on Human Rights in Dublin next week. The Nobel Laureate will deliver a keynote address on global human rights issues and the work of the Carter Centre.
PA