I am delighted to announce the “International Uyghur Forum: Global Parliamentarian Convention”, which will be held on 30 and 31 October 2023 in Tokyo, Japan. Japan has been a strong ally of Uyghurs and the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to publicly condemn and recognize the ongoing atrocities against Uyghurs and Turkic people.
On behalf of the World Uyghur Congress, it is my pleasure to welcome renowned international guests, including parliamentarians, key academic and civil society actors, Uyghur leaders, witnesses, camp survivors and activists from the global diaspora, to work together to formulate more concrete actions to stop the ongoing genocide of Uyghurs and other Turkic population amidst an increasingly complex security environment in East Turkistan, Central Asia and South-East Asia.
The International Uyghur Forum in Tokyo is the result of the global intensified efforts to mobilise political support based on several years of extensive documentary efforts on the atrocities committed against Uyghurs that was first set in motion through the judgment of the UK Independent Uyghur Tribunal in 2021, followed by the release of the UN Uyghur report in 2022. At the same time, a growing number of NGOs have been raising the high risk of Uyghur forced labour in global supply chains, making this a priority on the agenda of the G7 leaders once again this year in Japan.
Now is an important time in our people’s history. With the evidence evaluation process nearing an end and the UN confirming the atrocity crimes occurring in our homeland, we must re-evaluate and, most importantly, expand our existing alliances. We ask ourselves:
What avenues for justice and accountability have not yet been exhausted?
How can the UN system support us to fight the atrocities?
What can the EU and other governments do against these atrocities?
How can the role of civil society be strengthened?
What can be done in national parliaments around the world?
What new alliances can be formed?
These questions will be at the heart of the International Uyghur Forum 2023 in Tokyo. By bringing together leading parliamentarians, Uyghur leaders, academics and NGO representatives who have been at the forefront of ending the Uyghur Genocide, as well as inviting new partners into our circle, we hope to identify new avenues and partnerships that have the power to ease the suffering of millions of Uyghurs.
“Our People Cannot Wait.”
Dolkun Isa
president of the World Uyghur Congress