By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, July 16: The US senate on Tuesday confirmed Uzra Zeya for the State Department’s Under Secretary of State Bureau of Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, according to CTA run tibet.net. The American diplomat is expected to also be appointed as the next US Special coordinator for Tibet, as the post has traditionally been assumed by the Under Secretary of the state. Republican Robert Destro served as the Tibet coordinator previously.
The Kashmiri-origin diplomat spoke of Chinese repression during her nomination in April, “The [Chinese government is] repressing Tibetans, Christians, and other ethnic minorities.” She also noted her work experience with Chinese dissidents and criticised the current genocide against the Uyghur community. Zeya also wished to use congressional tools such as the Global Magnitsky Act and the Uyghur Human Rights Act during her tenure as Under Secretary.
“Based on her credentials, Ms. Zeya could be a formidable Special Coordinator, and we look forward to the possibility of working with her soon,” Representative Ngodup Tsering said of her potential as the new Special Coordinator under the Biden Administration.
Uzra Zeya has previously served as the acting Assistant Secretary and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor under the Obama administration. She would become the first Asian American to serve as the Under Secretary of State, with 73 votes in favour and 24 against, who was sworn into office by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman on Wednesday.
The appointment of the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues is mandated by the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 and is also an indication of the US government’s commitment to a negotiated resolution on Tibet and for the preservation of religious, cultural and linguistic heritage of the Tibetan people. The first Tibet coordinator Gregory Craig, Director of Policy Planning, was appointed on Oct 13, 1997.
2 Responses
Ms. Uzra Zeya would be a great coordinator.
Wonder if there is US special coordinator for Kashmir? Or is that a British problem?
Landlocked areas of the trans-Himalayan regions have a lot more in common than what most outsiders are aware of.