Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities Urges U.S. Leadership Under President Trump to Prioritise Human Rights and Accountability for China’s Rights Violations

7th November 2024 | Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities (GATPM)

The Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities (GATPM) congratulates President Donald J. Trump on his re-election as the 47th President of the United States. We urge the new administration to reaffirm America’s commitment to global human rights, justice, and accountability, values that face unprecedented threats today. Now, more than ever, strong U.S. leadership is crucial in defending these principles worldwide.

Official portrait of President Donald J. Trump, Friday, October 6, 2017. (Official White House photo by Shealah Craighead)

During President Trump’s first term, the United States made significant progress in supporting the Tibetan people’s fight for fundamental rights and autonomy. The administration’s enactment of the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018 and the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 marked critical steps in holding China accountable for human rights abuses and supporting Tibetans’ aspirations to preserve their culture, language, and spiritual heritage. The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act pioneered efforts to counter China’s systematic restriction of foreign access to Tibet, thereby enhancing independent observation and reporting on human rights conditions in the region. Meanwhile, the Tibetan Policy and Support Act bolstered U.S. commitments to protect Tibetans’ religious freedom and promote a future of genuine autonomy.

As President Trump prepares for his second term, GATPM calls for immediate, decisive actions to expand upon these commitments. One urgent priority is the swift appointment of a U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, as mandated by Congress, to lead a coordinated response to ongoing rights abuses in Tibet and champion Tibetan rights on the international stage. Additionally, we urge the administration to advocate for Tibet in multilateral forums, encouraging global allies to join in pressing China to end its repressive policies.

Beyond Tibet, GATPM calls on the United States to adopt a principled stance against the full range of China’s rights violations, including its draconian policies in Xinjiang (East Turkistan), Southern Mongolia, and Hong Kong, along with its growing aggression toward Taiwan. As Beijing expands its territorial ambitions and tightens its authoritarian control, the international community must stand united in demanding accountability. The United States should lead in implementing policies that uphold the rule of law, protect persecuted minorities, and collaborate with allies to counter these mounting threats.

With its enduring commitment to justice and the rule of law, the United States holds a unique position in the global defence of human rights. We hope that, under President Trump’s leadership, the U.S. will continue to prioritise the freedom and security of oppressed communities, champion human rights, and support multilateral efforts that advance peace and justice.

We also extend our gratitude to President Joe Biden, his administration, and the U.S. Congress for their continued support for Tibet, including the Resolve Tibet Act (2024), and persecuted minorities facing repression in China.

The Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities (GATPM) is dedicated to advocating for human rights, justice, and the protection of persecuted communities around the world.

Author: Tsering Passang

Founder and Chair, Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities (GATPM)

One thought on “Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities Urges U.S. Leadership Under President Trump to Prioritise Human Rights and Accountability for China’s Rights Violations”

  1. Francesca Albanese https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/11/1/un-should-consider-suspending-israel-over-genocide-says-special-rapporteur, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Occupied Palestine, presented her Report to the Human Rights Council on 30 October 2024 and gave a briefing for the press on her Report. Her Report pointed clearly to the danger of genocide, a policy with the intent to cleanse ethnically all or part of Gaza, the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

    As the then U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in an address to UNESCO in 1998, " Many thought, no doubt, that the horrors of the Second World War - the camps, the cruelty, the exterminations, the Holocaust - could not happen again.  And yet they have, in Cambodia, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Rwanda.  Our time has shown us that man's capacity for evil knows no limits.  Genocide - the destruction of an entire people on the basis of ethnic or national origins - is now a word of our time too, a stark and haunting reminder of why our vigilance must be eternal." 

Yet for vigilance to be eternal, there must be persons who are vigilant.  There must be some sort of structure, rules of procedure, possibility for investigation, and measures for the resolution of the conflicts through negotiations in good faith. 

For the moment, there are neither short term measures such as the often proposed ceasefire nor negotiations on the longer term perspectives for the creation of political structures that would allow cooperative and safe welfare for all. 

A very dangerous measure is the vote in the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) to ban the operations of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA) created by the United Nations in December 1949.  UNRWA functions as a de facto municipal government in many places responsible for education, health, and other essential services. 

As Francesca Albanese notes, the Israeli Jewish media and some organizations have created a "vengeful atmosphere."  The provisions of the (1948) Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide provide a framework for action. (1) The Genocide Convention in its provisions concerning public incitement, sets the limits of political discourse.  Therefore, the Genocide Convention is a constant reminder of the need to moderate political discourse, especially constant and repeated accusations against a religious, ethnic or social category of persons. 

As the representatives of non-governmental organizations, we must take the warnings of Francesca Albanese seriously and redouble of efforts for the respect of human rights and dignity in the wider Middle East. 

                             Note

    1) See William A. Schabas. Genocide in International Law

    (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000)

    René Wadlow, Association of World Citizens

    On Thu, Nov 7, 2024 at 12:11 PM Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted

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