Ms Uzra Zeya Appointed as US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues

By Tenzin Samten / December 22, 2021;

Photo: state.gov

The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on December 20 that he has appointed Ms Uzra Zeya as the United States Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues; she is the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights – a position which traditionally doubles as the Special Coordinator. She will coordinate and promote Tibetan projects and issues in the US government, consistent with the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002, particularly the issue of Tibetan dialogue with China.

The press statement said that Special Coordinator Zeya will work closely with Tibetan cultural, religious, and political leaders, the US Congress, international allies and partners, and civil society representatives.

“This designation demonstrates the Administration’s commitment to advance the human rights of Tibetans, help preserve their distinct heritage, address their humanitarian needs, and meet environmental and water resource challenges of the Tibetan plateau,” said the press announcement. In accordance with Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018, the US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues will seek to increase access to Tibet for US officials, journalists, and other citizens.

Ms Zeya said that she is honoured that Secretary Blinken has designated her to serve as the US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. “I look forward to helping preserve the rich culture and traditions of Tibetans worldwide,” she said.

Sikyong Penpa Tsering, President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), also known as the Tibetan Government-in-exile, thanked US Secretary Blinken for the appointment, saying in a tweet, “I look forward to working with @UnderSecStateJ to bring tangible progress in human rights situation in Tibet and resolve Sino-Tibetan conflict through #MiddleWayApproach”.

Mr Namgyal Choedup, representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the CTA in Northm America, congratulated the new Special Coordinator saying, “We look forward to working closely with her, particularly on resolving the issue of Tibet through the Middle Way Approach. We would also like to thank both the US Congress and Administration for their unwavering support to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and for the just cause of Tibet.”

Ms Zeya is the seventh US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues.

Interntaional Campaign for Tibet reports that Zeya is not new to the Tibetan issue. They said that in 2013, she has led a US delegation that met with Chinese counterparts as part of the 18th US-China Human Rights Dialogue in Kunming, China and following that meeting in China, she has “expressed deep concern” over the Chinese control on Tibetans and Uighurs and has urged the Chinese government to engage in substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, without preconditions. She has also raised the case of Dhondup Wangchen with the Chinese officials whom the Chinese authorities arrested and tortured for making a film about repression in Tibet prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympic.