The World Uyghur Congress (WUC), in partnership with the Uyghur Center for Democracy and Human Rights (UZDM) and with the support of the Uyghur Friendship Group in the German Bundestag, is set to convene the Third International Uyghur Forum (IUF) in Berlin, Germany, from 11–13 June 2026.
Held under the theme “Ten Years Since the Camps: From Recognition to Accountability – What’s Next?”, the Forum will bring together more than 200 participants and around 80 speakers from across the globe, including parliamentarians, diplomats, legal experts, academics, researchers, journalists, human rights advocates, civil society leaders, and representatives of the Uyghur diaspora.
As the international community marks ten years since the beginning of China’s mass internment campaign against Uyghurs, the Forum will serve as a vital platform to assess global responses to the ongoing Uyghur genocide and identify concrete pathways toward accountability.
“As recognition of the crimes against Uyghurs grows, accountability remains elusive. The third International Uyghur Forum will bring together global voices to discuss how to turn recognition into action.” – said Turgunjan Alawdun, President of the World Uyghur Congress.
‘’In a world where authoritarian governments increasingly cooperate across borders, defenders of human rights must do the same. The IUF provides a unique opportunity to strengthen partnerships, share expertise, and advance meaningful action in support of the Uyghur people,” said Dolkun Isa, President of the Uyghur Center for Democracy and Human Rights.
The Forum will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, roundtables, side events, and the presentation of new research and reports examining the evolving nature of repression in East Turkistan and beyond. Discussions will focus on accountability mechanisms, forced labour enforcement, transnational repression, protection of Uyghur refugees, and international legal responses to ongoing crimes against humanity and genocide.
Among the distinguished speakers and guests participating in this year’s Forum are:
- Carl Gershman, Founder of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED)
- Yves-François Blanchet, Leader of the Bloc Québécois and Member of Parliament, Canada
- Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Member of the European Parliament and Chair of the Committee on Legal Affairs
- Ambassador Dr. Klement Ruey-sheng Gu, Representative of the Taipei Representative Office in the Federal Republic of Germany
- Dr. Adrian Zenz, Director in China Studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
- Zdeněk Hřib, Czech Member of Parliament and Former Mayor of Prague
- Sir Geoffrey Nice KC, British Barrister, Chief Prosecutor at the ICTY and Chair of the Uyghur Tribunal
- Oleksandra Matviichuk – Ukrainian human rights defender, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
They will be joined by dozens of prominent experts, policymakers, researchers, journalists, legal practitioners, and civil society leaders from across Europe, North America, Asia, and beyond.
The Third International Uyghur Forum builds upon the success of previous gatherings in Brussels (2022) and Tokyo (2023), which brought together hundreds of participants and helped strengthen international cooperation in support of Uyghur human rights and accountability efforts.
As global attention increasingly shifts toward other international crises, the Forum seeks to ensure that the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity against the Uyghur people remain firmly on the international agenda and that concrete measures are advanced to hold perpetrators accountable.
