NGOs Urge Coordinated Global Response at UN Human Rights Body Meeting

NGOs Urge Coordinated Global Response to Uyghur Forced Labour at UN Forum

At the recent United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights (UNBHR) in Geneva, NGOs highlighted the urgent need for a global response to state-imposed forced labour in the Uyghur Region. Despite the issue being excluded formally from the forum’s agenda, advocates from Global Rights Compliance (GRC), the Uyghur Youth Initiative, and the Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region actively pushed for greater attention.

These groups engaged directly with UN officials, including the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, stressing the difficulties of credible human rights due diligence in the region. They explained that restrictive domestic laws prevent workers from speaking openly, while supply chain transparency remains severely limited.

Research cited by GRC revealed that numerous companies are linked with critical minerals extracted from forced labour, signaling widespread corporate complicity in human rights violations. Lara Strangways, head of business and human rights at GRC, called on governments to implement strong import bans. She warned that without unified international action, the coercive system entrenched in the Uyghur Region risks being normalized.

Patricia Carrier, Business Engagement Lead for End Uyghur Forced Labour, emphasized that over three million individuals were forcibly transferred into labour programs recently. She urged businesses to immediately disengage to avoid supporting these abuses and demanded that UN bodies listen to Uyghur advocates’ voices.

The NGOs are pressing for strict enforcement of existing labour laws such as the American Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and the European Union Forced Labour Regulation. They advocate for synchronized global efforts to ban imports of forced labour products. Additionally, companies are called upon to:

1. Trace supply chains thoroughly
2. Identify exposure to Uyghur forced labour
3. Fully exit operations in the Uyghur Region

Representatives from GRC, End Uyghur Forced Labour, Stop Uyghur Genocide, and the Uyghur Youth Initiative remain available for interviews to further discuss their findings and demands. A video made by summit attendees highlights these concerns and underscores the need for international accountability.