[ultimate_heading]

SIXTH GENEVA FORUM 9 – 10 FEBRUARY 2026

[/ultimate_heading]

SIXTH GENEVA FORUM 9 – 10 FEBRUARY 2026

Theme	Repression and Resilience: Human Rights in Tibet and Regions under China
Participants	UN Special Procedures mandate Holders; Human rights researchers and advocates; victims and defenders, diplomats and civil societies, scholars and policy makers
Date & location	9 – 10 February 2026 CICG, Rue de Varembé 17, 1202 Genève
Organizer	The Tibet Bureau, Geneva
Contact information	Ph: +41 227387940 \| Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Introduction:

The human rights situation in regions under the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been the subject of sustained concern by United Nations Special Procedures, treaty bodies, and other international human rights mechanisms. Over time, these concerns have intensified, particularly in relation to restrictions on civil, political, cultural, religious, economic, and social rights. Recent developments indicate a narrowing of civic space, increased securitization, and the growing use of legal, administrative, and technological measures that affect fundamental freedoms of Tibetans, Uyghurs, and other Turkic Muslims, Mongolians, Hong Kongers, and others in regions under China.

At the same time, PRC has taken a more assertive role in challenging established international human rights norms and accountability mechanisms, including within the United Nations system. In this context, there is an urgent need for platforms that facilitate constructive, evidence-based dialogue grounded in international human rights law, while amplifying the findings of UN mechanisms and the lived experiences of affected communities.

The Geneva Forum was conceived in the context of China’s third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), with the first edition held on 2 November 2018. Following strong engagement and positive feedback, the Forum expanded into a two-day format to allow for more comprehensive examination of thematic human rights concerns.

Since 2018, successive editions of the Geneva Forum have contributed to evidence-based analysis of human rights conditions in Tibet and other regions under Chinese administration, drawing on documentation by UN mandate holders, treaty bodies, independent experts, academics, and civil society organizations.

The Forum has evolved into a unique platform bringing together human rights experts, defenders, academics, diplomats, governments, think tanks, civil society actors, and representatives of affected communities. It enables collective assessment of human rights conditions of Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hong Kongers, democracy advocates and human rights defenders in regions under China, while fostering dialogue on international cooperation, accountability, and protection.

The Sixth Geneva Forum 2026 will deliberate on the theme titled “Repression and Resilience: Human Rights in Tibet and Regions under China.” The Forum will provide an evidence based deliberative platform to examine patterns of human rights restrictions alongside the resilience of individuals and communities who seek to preserve their cultural, religious, linguistic, and social identities through peaceful and rights-based means.

Human rights concern in regions under PRC’s governance has been raised repeatedly by UN Special Rapporteurs, Working Groups, treaty bodies, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Tibet has been assessed by several international indices as among the least free regions globally. Reports have raised concerns regarding large-scale placement of Tibetan children in state-run residential boarding schools, with implications for cultural rights, linguistic rights, and family life. Allegations of mass detention forced labour, and coercive labour transfer programmes in Tibet and of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims continue to attract scrutiny under international human rights and labour standards.

Against this backdrop, the Forum will examine both structural patterns of rights restrictions and community-level resilience, situating discussions within the framework of international human rights treaties to which China is a party, as well as standards articulated through Special Procedures. Following China’s fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR) cycle (January–February 2024), the Forum will also review key recommendations, assess implementation challenges, and explore avenues for constructive international engagement and accountability.

Thematic Panels:

Uncovering Violations: Human Rights Review of Regions under China
Examining State Narratives: Development and Dispossession
Breaking the Silence: Surveillance, Censorship, and Transnational Repression
What Next? Advancing International Accountability and Multilateral Responses

Special Panels:

The Roof of the World at Risk: Environmental Exploitation and Displacement in Tibet
Sacred Choice, Legal Right: Building Global Understanding of “Reincarnation”

Thematic Panels

Panel I: “Uncovering Violations: Human Rights Review of Regions under China” will examine the overall human rights situation of Tibetans, Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims, Hong Kongers including democracy advocates and human rights defenders in regions under China. Experts will assess ongoing rights concerns, sharing documented patterns of repression targeting cultural, religious, and political freedoms. Personal and community stories of resilience will be highlighted to illustrate lived experiences. Together, the discussion will offer a comprehensive understanding of human rights conditions under Chinese governance.

Panel II: “Examining State Narratives: Development and Dispossession,” examines how state-led development, shaped by colonial and internal-colonial logics, legitimises land dispossession, displacement, and socio-environmental transformation. It critically interrogates narratives of “development” and “progress” as tools of governance that obscure unequal power relations and material harms.

Panel III: “Breaking the Silence: Surveillance, Censorship, and Transnational Repression” will discuss the impact of state surveillance, information control, and censorship on individuals and communities within and beyond China. The session will address digital monitoring systems, restrictions on free expression, and mechanisms of suppressing dissent. Transnational repression— ranging from intimidation to coercion—will also be examined. The panel will emphasize the need for international awareness and protective measures for those targeted.

Panel IV: “What Next? Advancing International Accountability and Multilateral Responses” will explore how international institutions, UN Mechanisms, states, and civil society actors can respond more effectively to human rights abuses. Discussions will include legal mechanisms, targeted sanctions, diplomatic engagement, and multilateral strategies. Panelists will examine challenges to building coordinated international responses amid geopolitical constraints. The session will highlight the importance of sustained global advocacy in promoting accountability and protecting affected communities.

Special Panels

The first special session “The Roof of the World at Risk: Environmental Exploitation and Displacement in Tibet” examines the environmental consequences of large-scale development, resource extraction, and infrastructure projects on the Tibetan Plateau. The panel analyses how state-led environmental governance and extractive practices contribute to ecological degradation and the displacement of Tibetan communities, reshaping livelihoods, land use, and human–environment relations.

This second special panel on “Sacred Choice, Legal Right: Building Global Understanding of ‘Reincarnation” will explore reincarnation as both a spiritual tradition and a matter of individual freedom protected under international human rights law. It will examine how reincarnation-related practices intersect with religious freedom, cultural rights, and self-determination. The session will address cases of political interference and highlight relevant UN mechanisms and treaty frameworks.

The Geneva Forum aims to strengthen cooperation among organizations and experts engaging with UN Special Procedures, treaty bodies, and the Universal Periodic Review on issues related to human rights and freedom of religion or belief in China. It seeks to support evidence-based advocacy, enhance follow-up to UN recommendations, and contribute to informed international dialogue and media coverage on human rights conditions in regions under Chinese governance.

SIXTH GENEVA FORUM 9 – 10 FEBRUARY 2026

Organizer