Press Release – For Immediate Release
03. März 2025
Contact: World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) is pleased to announce the Third East Turkistan/Uyghur Summit and the Uyghur Youth Summit, taking place from May 23 to 25, 2025, in Munich, Germany.
These summits will bring together Uyghur leaders, human rights defenders, community representatives, business professionals, youth activists, scholars, and politicians from 20 different countries, alongside our partners from the Tibetan, Southern Mongolian, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong communities.
These gatherings come at a crucial time when the global order is shifting rapidly, presenting both new threats and opportunities. We are witnessing the evolving priorities of the new Trump administration, changes in U.S.-China and U.S.-EU relations, and a world agenda dominated by ongoing conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Hamas conflict, and the post-Assad situation in Syria. Meanwhile, China’s expansionist foreign policy has further alienated its neighboring countries and NATO member states, internal opposition to Xi Jinping’s regime is growing, and China’s economy is facing recession. These external factors create both challenges and opportunities for the Uyghur national movement.
Despite the Chinese regime’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in East Turkistan—recognized by 11 parliaments worldwide and confirmed by the Uyghur Tribunal—international responses remain insufficient. In recent years, the U.S. Congress has passed two major laws addressing Uyghur human rights, and global cooperation to end Uyghur forced labor has strengthened. In August 2022, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released its first report on East Turkistan, confirming that crimes against humanity may be occurring. However, the majority of UN member states continue to evade their responsibility, with some openly supporting China’s policies and turning a blind eye to the ongoing atrocities. China, leveraging its economic influence, seeks to reshape the global order and undermine international law established after World War II.
Additionally, China’s transnational repression is intensifying, especially with the advancement of AI surveillance tools. The fate of Uyghur refugees is one of uncertainty, fear, and relentless persecution, as they face the constant threat of surveillance, detention, and forced repatriation to China, where they risk imprisonment, torture, or worse. Just last week, with great pressure exerted by China, Thailand deported at least 40 Uyghur refugees.
Our movement cannot afford to ignore these significant shifts.
At this critical moment, when international dynamics are evolving rapidly and our national existence faces an urgent threat, the Summit reflects the aspirations of our people. It aims to unite Uyghur leaders from various fields, align our efforts with global developments, and establish a new strategy and roadmap for the future.
This year’s summit will facilitate direct discussions and consultations on these pressing challenges and opportunities, as well as unresolved organizational issues. The Uyghur Youth Summit will provide a platform for young people—the future of our nation—to actively shape our movement, strengthen cooperation, and engage in meaningful dialogue.
Our collective goal is to unify our thoughts and actions. We strive to overcome internal divisions, achieve unity, and establish a clear ideological foundation and direction for our movement. This gathering will serve as a platform for learning, exchanging ideas, networking, and charting a collective path forward.
We, therefore, call on all Uyghurs in the diaspora to closely follow the Third East Turkistan National/Uyghur National Summit and the Uyghur Youth Summit and to offer their intellectual, material, and moral support to ensure its success.