The United Nations 78th General Assembly kicks off in New York City, and the global leaders have been arriving at the venue.
On the first day, US President Joe Biden gave a speech in which he appeared to appease China and called to stabilize business relations with Beijing. He did mention “Xinjiang” among places where human rights are not respected, but there was no mention of the Uyghur genocide.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at least mentioned #Uyghurs in his speech but failed to challenge the Chinese occupation of East Turkistan. He said that Turkiye upholds “China’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
Uyghurs do not have many international platforms to voice their grievances against Chinese oppression. The United Nations should be such a venue. Sadly, world politics have transformed the UN into an incompetent body of pro-Beijing states that fear to confront China about its repressive policies against the Uyghurs.
Most leaders at the General Assembly voiced their support for Ukraine. Most leaders at the General Assembly voiced their support for Ukraine. It was the first time since the breakout of the war that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared at the General Assembly in person. During the UNGA, the president spoke via a video call.
One might have expected Central Asian nations, including Kazakhstan, to stand up for Uyghurs. However, climate change, gender equality, and economic development seemed to be a priority to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the President of Kazakhstan.
Many also called for the Israel-Palestinian conflict to be resolved. But as usual, Uyghurs and their oppression did not appear on the agenda.
