Concept Note– for Geneva Forum 2023

Concept Note- Fifth Geneva Forum-2023

26 – 27 October 2023

Theme

Human Rights in Decline: Regions under China

Participants

Human rights researchers and advocates; victims and defenders, diplomats and civil societies, scholars and policy makers

Date & location

26 – 27 October 2023

CICG, Rue de Varembé 17, 1202 Genève

Organizer

The Tibet Bureau, Geneva

Contact information

Ph: +41 227387940 | email: [email protected]

Introduction:

The human rights situation in regions under the People’s Republic of China has been seeing a downward trend since its inception in 1949. In recent times, the rights situation has deteriorated as evidenced by numerous reports. At the same time, China is aggressively pushing its agenda to redefine the universally-accepted principles of human rights and intervene in international human rights protection mechanisms.

In order to uphold the universality of human rights and to bring spotlight on the ground situation in regions under the People’s Republic of China, a forum focusing on human rights and China has become more crucial than ever.

The Geneva Forum was conceived in the backdrop of the third cycle of Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of China. The first Geneva Forum was held on 2 November 2018. Following positive reception based on overwhelming encouraging feedback, a day-long forum evolved into a two-day event to ensure that all major issues concerning the central theme were discussed and deliberated extensively.

The second Geneva Forum was held from 14 to 15 November 2019 to discuss “China’s High-Tech Repression and Freedom of Religion.” The third Geneva Forum was held on the central theme “China’s Policy on Freedom of Religion.” However, it was re-programmed into a week-long virtual program from 9 to 13 November 2020 due global pandemic. The fourth Geneva Forum was held from 1 to 2 November 2021 on the theme of “Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Violations by China.”

The Geneva Forum has evolved into a unique platform for human rights experts, practitioners, academicians, activists, governments, diplomats, think tanks, civil society groups and the affected groups to assess and evaluate the human rights situation in regions under the Chinese government. This includes Tibet, East Turkestan, Southern Mongolia, Hong Kong and also affected countries like Taiwan. The forum aims to develop a network amongst like-minded groups to advance a coordinated multilateral approach to counter, challenge and hold China accountable for its worsening human rights record.

The Fifth Geneva Forum 2023 will deliberate on the theme titled “Human Rights in Decline: Regions Under China.” In recent times, the human rights situation in regions under China have witnessed steady decline and deterioration. According the Freedom House, Tibet remains the least free region in the world for the five consecutive years. Nearly one million Tibetan children are being assimilated through forced residential schools. The concentration camps and forced labour training programs in Tibet and East Turkestan have drawn worldwide condemnation. The cultural and linguistic identity of Tibetans, Uyghurs and Southern Mongolians are threatened by China’s policies in these regions. The forum will therefore report and deliberate on the declining human rights situation in regions under China. Furthermore, considering the upcoming fourth UPR cycle of China to be held in January-February 2024, the forum will also discuss and review the rights record of China.

Human Rights Trends: Situation in Regions Under China
Silencing Voices: China’s Assimilationist Policy and Crackdown on Defenders
Development or Neo-Colonization? – Tibet and Regions under China
China’s Global Footprints: Surveillance and Transnational Repression

The first panel “Human Rights Trends: Situation in Regions Under China” will deliberate on the overall human rights situation in regions under China especially Tibet, East Turkestan, Southern Mongolia, Hong Kong as well as other regions of the People’s Republic of China. The experts will offer insights into the human rights situation under PRC, with special focus on rights situation under Xi Jinping.

The second panel “Silencing Voices: China’s Assimilationist Policy and Persecution of Defenders” will deliberate on China’s aggressive implementation of assimilationist policy in regions under its rule especially aimed at destruction of unique language, identity, religion and culture of Tibetans, Uyghurs, Southern Mongolians and others affected groups. It will also deliberate on the systematic persecution of defenders including arbitrary detention, torture, disproportionate sentencing, and custodial deaths of defenders.

The third panel “Development or Neo-Colonization? – Tibet and Regions under China” will deliberate on the truth behind the “development narrative” that China is desperately trying to build to whitewash and conceal the ground realities in Tibet, East Turkestan, Southern Mongolia, and other regions. The experts will evaluate the forced labour allegations, destruction of the environment through mining, violations of economic rights as well as colonialist policies of China in regions under its rule.

The fourth panel “China’s Global Footprints: Surveillance and Transnational Repression” will highlight and discuss the massive surveillance set up by the Chinese government to monitor and control the people under its rule. Tibetans, Uyghurs, Southern Mongolians who are especially vulnerable are subjected to massive DNA collection, iris scan, biometric scans etc. Furthermore, by establishing “secret” police stations in foreign countries China is carrying out transnational repression at an unprecedented scale to silence voices of dissent abroad. Its footprints in Africa, Latin America and Asia through debt-diplomacy are destroying not only the democratic systems but also the environment.

The Geneva Forum expects to build a network of organizations and experts focusing on human rights and religious freedom in China and develop coordinated efforts to challenge and improve China’s human rights record. It also expects to strengthen mainstream media attention and public discourse on the deteriorating human rights record in the most remote parts under the rule of the CCP.