Advocates Urge UN Forum to Address State-Imposed Forced Labour in Uyghur Region

Advocates Urge UN Forum to Address State-Imposed Forced Labour in Uyghur Region
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Leading legal experts and rights advocates at this week’s United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva pressed for stronger international action on state-imposed forced labour (SIFL) in the Uyghur Region, a concern not formally reflected on the event’s agenda, Global Rights Compliance reported.

Representatives from Global Rights Compliance (GRC), the Uyghur Youth Initiative and members of the Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region attended the forum with the aim of ensuring that Uyghur perspectives—often limited by transnational repression—were included in policy discussions.

Throughout the week, delegates participated in sessions and held meetings, including with the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, to highlight the need for greater global attention to SIFL. Advocates stressed that credible human rights due diligence in the region is currently unattainable, as workers are unable to speak freely about coercion and transparency in supply chains is restricted by domestic legislation.

They pointed to recent GRC research indicating that numerous companies remain linked to critical minerals sourced from forced labour, underscoring what they describe as widespread complicity in rights violations. GRC’s head of business and human rights, Lara Strangways, urged governments to adopt and enforce strong import bans to keep forced-labour-made goods out of global markets.

Patricia Carrier, Business Engagement Lead for End Uyghur Forced Labour, said millions of Uyghurs were transferred into labour programmes in 2023 and reiterated that immediate disengagement from the region is the only responsible corporate response.

The groups called for stronger enforcement of U.S. and EU regulations, coordinated international action to block forced-labour imports, and comprehensive supply-chain tracing by all companies. They also encouraged firms to fully exit the Uyghur Region. Representatives from several organisations remain available for media interviews.