The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) welcomes the statement released today by independent UN experts expressing their deep concern about ongoing allegations of state-organized forced labor in China. In addition to Uyghur, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz communities, the experts explicitly mention Tibetans as being affected by systematic forced labor and resettlement programs.
“There is a persistent pattern of alleged State-imposed forced labour involving ethnic minorities across multiple provinces in China,” the experts said. “In many cases, the coercive elements are so severe that they may amount to forcible transfer and/or enslavement as a crime against humanity.” The labor and land transfers explicitly serve the goal of “reshaping” the cultural identities of Tibetans and others under the guise of poverty alleviation.
The UN experts express particular concern about the so-called “Whole Village Relocation” program, which involves the wholesale relocation of Tibetan village communities. The experts describe how state coercion is used to force consent, including through repeated home visits, implicit threats of punishment, suppression of criticism, and threats to withdraw basic services.
“ICT welcomes these expert findings and their clear statement that Chinese authorities are subjecting Tibetans to forced labor and forced resettlement. The unequivocal truth is laid bare – China’s abusive policies do not alleviate poverty or improve conditions for Tibetans; they deliberately seek to dismantle and erase Tibet’s unique cultural, linguistic, and religious heritage,” said ICT President Tencho Gyatso. “ICT is grateful for the professional, independent, and unbiased analysis conducted by these UN experts.”
These findings further point to the global dimension of China’s abusive efforts: products manufactured under conditions of forced labor could enter international supply chains via third countries. They call on companies and investors to consistently comply with their human rights due diligence obligations in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
ICT joins the UN experts in calling for unhindered access to China and Tibet for independent UN human rights mechanisms. At the same time, ICT appeals to the U.S., likeminded governments, and other international partners to take the findings of the UN experts seriously and to promote accountability for these clear violations of international human rights norms.
Four UN special rapporteurs collaborated with the Working Group on Business and Human Rights to reach these findings. These individuals are independent human rights experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work.