The National Endowment for Democracy presented the Dalai Lama with the Democracy Service Medal in recognition of the Tibetan spiritual leader’s commitment to advancing the principles of democracy and human dignity. 
The Dalai Lama in his remarks talked about the history of the struggles of the Tibetan people in the past 50 years. He also reviewed how he came to believe in an “open” versus “authoritarian” society - particularly Indian democracy versus Chinese communism. Following his acceptance speech, he responded to questions from audience members.