GENEVA FORUM 2021

DECLARATION

FOURTH GENEVA FORUM

1-2 November 2021

We, the speakers and participants of the fourth Geneva Forum 2021 on “Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Violations by China”,

Are appalled at the persistence of systematic and gross violations of human rights by the Government of People’s Republic of China (PRC) and its ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in China and in other regions under its control, and specifically for the breach by the PRC of its obligations under the International Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) in Tibet, East Turkestan and Southern Mongolia;

Underline the illegitimacy of Chinese rule of Tibet and East Turkestan and Inner Mongolia, and the breaches of international obligations with regard to the governance of Hong Kong;

Are Alarmed by and Condemn the PRC’s repression and its acts of cultural genocide,  including its implementation of policies of “Sinicization” of Tibetans, Uyghurs and  Mongolians, in particular, as regards the Tibetans, the denial of access by Tibetans to education  in their mother tongue; the violation of religious freedom and undermining of the Tibetan  Buddhist reincarnation practice and protocols; involuntary family separation policies; and  through these and other policies, the destruction of the distinct Tibetan culture, way of life and  national identity; and as regards the Uyghurs and other Turkic people of East Turkestan, their  subjection to similar violations and their abhorrent massive arbitrary incarceration in  internment camps;

Are Deeply Concerned about the continued refusal of the Government of the People’s Republic of China – despite numerous calls by independent UN experts and concerned governments – to disclose the whereabouts of the ‘disappeared’ Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and to allow access to him by an independent monitor to ascertain his health and well-being;

Are Deeply Concerned also by the injurious design and implementation of environmental policies of the Government of the PRC, which fail to provide mechanisms for free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) by Tibetans, Uyghurs and others and for redress and accountability for violations, whereas such mechanisms are essential to safeguarding human rights.

Are Gravely Concerned by the PRC’s coercive labor and nomad relocation programs, under the guise of ‘poverty alleviation’, in East Turkestan and Tibet and the denial of judicial recourse for affected people;

Recognize and emphasize that these and other violations of human rights of Tibetans and Uyghurs by the PRC are consequences and symptoms of the PRC’s violation and denial of the fundamental right of the Tibetan people and the people of East Turkestan to self-determination, provided for in common Article 1 of the ICESCR and the ICCPR, the exercise of which is a prerequisite for the enjoyment of the other rights enshrined in these Covenants;

Are Gravely Disturbed by the PRC and its Communist Party’s growing role, influence and impact on the international human rights system, which it undermines as it attempts to redefine it to serve its own political interests;

Welcome the concern expressed by the UN human rights experts, UN Member States and civil societies, in this past year regarding the situation in Tibet, East Turkestan and Southern Mongolia, including on the violations of Economic, Social, and Cultural rights in these regions;

Welcome in particular the joint statement by over 50 UN experts to establish an independent mechanism to closely monitor, analyze and report annually on the human rights situation in China and regions under its control and the comprehensive list of issues transmitted by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in relations to third periodic review of China;

We Therefore,

Call Upon the Government of People’s Republic of China to:

– RESPECT AND GUARANTEE all human rights and their universal validity, in compliance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;

– STOP WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT the policies of repression, forced and coerced labor, and forced” Sinicization” of Tibetans, Uyghurs and Mongolians;

– IMMEDIATELY DISCLOSE the location of internment camps, in particular in East Turkestan, the number and identity of detainees and to release the detainees forthwith;

– IMMEDIATELY DISCLOSE the whereabouts of the ‘disappeared’ Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, to release him, and to fully respect his rights to freedom of movement and to freely exercise his spiritual responsibilities;

– FULLY RESPECT, PERMIT AND FACILITATE WITHOUT DELAY the exercise of the full right to self-determination by the Tibetan people and the people of East Turkestan;

— RESTORE AND RESPECT the autonomy of Hong Kong as established in its Basic Law, the Constitution of the PRC and the Joint Declaration;

Call Upon the UN Human Rights Council to follow up with the June 2020 joint statement by UN experts to act with a sense of urgency, and create an independent mechanism to monitor the human rights situation of Tibetans, Uyghurs, of Chinese and others;

Call Upon the Committee on the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, in its ongoing review of the report of the People’s Republic of China to the Committee, to urge the Chinese government to abolish policies, such as coercive settlement and labor programs, that are in contravention of the Covenant;

Call Upon the international community to urge the Chinese government to ratify core ILO Conventions on forced labor;

Call Upon the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to address the denial of access of Tibetans to education in their mother tongue and to more consistently protect Tibetan cultural heritage with UNESCO world heritage status;

Call Upon parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and to the Convention on Biological Diversity to establish a strong rights-based approach to policies on climate change and biodiversity, while acknowledging the urgent need for transparency and accountability of stakeholders when implementing such policies, in particular of the People’s Republic of China

Call Upon all States and international institutions to counter and report on extraterritorial policing and acts of intimidation against exiled Tibetans, Uyghurs, Mongolians, human rights defenders and political dissidents by the PRC;

Call Upon all States and their governments not to send representatives to the Olympic Winter Games 2022 in Beijing, in protest of the gross violations of international law;

Call Upon governments to refrain from any statements or acts that expressly or implicitly recognize Tibet to be a part of China unless the PRC has reached a mutually beneficial and satisfactory agreement with the Dalai Lama, his representatives and with the democratically elected leaders of the Central Tibetan Administration;

Call Upon all States and their governments, international institutions and business  enterprises, including multinational corporations, to oppose coercive labor practices of the  PRC in Tibet and East Turkestan, to provide detailed reports examining supply chains with  regard to use of forced or coerced labor, and to ban products produced through forced and/or  coerced labor, and to fully and meaningfully implement relevant human rights treaty  obligations and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in their dealings  with the People’s Republic of China, including the obligation to respect and promote the  realization of peoples’ right to self-determination, and to stop all governmental and corporate  activities that violate any of these rights.