Uyghur activist calls for global action to shift sourcing of green technology away from East Turkistan

Bonn [Germany], June 7 : Zumretay Arkin Director of Global Advocacy of the United Nations on Wednesday called for coordinated global action to shift solar, electric vehicles and other green technology supply chains away from the Uyghur region at the ongoing UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) held at Bonn, Germany.
Arkin, in her statement, explained how China has been exploiting the Uyghur community of East Turkistan in mining and other operations to retrieve the minerals that remain mandatory for the production of greener alternatives of electricity generation and mobility.
During her intervention at the UNFCCC "In the context of the growing demand for critical minerals and renewable energy, we need to ensure that the Global North's shift to a transition that is just, and does not come at the expense of vulnerable communities. But, far too often, these solutions are being debated and negotiated without the involvement of those who are impacted."
As the world continues to experience the devastating impacts of climate change, a full transition away from the fossil fuel economy is imperative. The solar and electric vehicle (EV) industries, in particular, are critical to this transition. However, both industries have been heavily implicated in forced labour in the Uyghur Region, where the Chinese Government is systematically persecuting the native Uyghur and Turkic and Muslim-majority peoples.
"These solutions are being debated and negotiated without the involvement of those who are impacted. In our case, Uyghurs inside cannot be consulted, which means Uyghur organisations and communities in the diaspora must be consulted. What is happening in my homeland, East Turkistan (XUAR) is a genocide," said Arkin.
Solar and EV battery supply chains around the world have been traced back to the state-imposed forced labour of Uyghurs, implicating these technologies in grave human rights abuses. In addition, the dominance of the Uyghur Region in green technology supply chains also poses critical risks to global energy security.
While pointing out the world's dependence on the Uyghur community for the production of solar panels Arkin mentioned that "The majority of the world's solar panels are made from polysilicon, derived from high-grade quartz. The supply chain involves mining quartz, processing it into metallurgical-grade silicon (MGS), converting it to polysilicon, and then manufacturing it into solar modules."
East Turkistan is a significant source, supplying 35 per cent of the world's polysilicon and 32 per cent of the MGS. A single plant there accounted for 14 per cent of global polysilicon production in 2022".
She further explained, that several entities related to polysilicon and MGS processing are related to the Uyghur forced labour camps. Uyghur forced labour is prevalent across different industries, including textile and garment, agriculture, fishing, solar, technology and automotive industries.
These state-sponsored programs are implemented in a coercive manner, in a broader context of persecution. These wider surveillance schemes make it practically impossible for Uyghur workers to freely express their opinions or voice out their concerns regarding their working conditions. Due diligence is practically impossible.
This persecution includes mass internment in reeducation camps, forced labour, invasive surveillance, and cultural and religious repression. Reports indicate that up to 3 million Uyghurs have been detained in internment camps, where they face indoctrination, torture, and severe human rights abuses. Additionally, there are reports of forced sterilizations and family separations, aimed at eradicating Uyghur identity and reducing their population.
While sharing her personal experience of Uyghur oppression in such labour camps Arkin mentioned that "I myself have over 30 members of my family who are detained in camps and or have disappeared starting 2017. I have no idea about their whereabouts, nor do I have any channel of communication with them, for 7 years now."
In 2023, the UN Special Rapporteur on Modern Slavery concluded that the forced labour systems in East Turkistan and China may constitute crimes against humanity.
She while raising her concerns mentioned that "we need to push to have at least key themes, like human rights violations risks linked to critical minerals and renewables, to be negotiated here at SB60 (UNFCCC). She further argued that there is an urgent need for global collaboration to shift the sourcing of such mining materials away from East Turkistan."
Turning to the Electric Vehicles sector, an increasing share of the inputs for lithium-ion batteries, used in EVs, are being processed and manufactured in the Uyghur Region. According to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, as of 2022, China processed 44 per cent of the world's chemical lithium and 70 per cent of lithium-ion battery cells. The Region is also becoming a global hub for the processing of many of the other minerals used in EV batteries, including nickel, copper and manganese.
"I would also like to point out that the solar industry is energy intensive. Electricity accounts for over 40 per cent of the total cost of polysilicon production and polysilicon processing in our homeland is heavily dependent on coal," said the Uyghur activist.
Key actors in lithium processing and distribution, the manufacture of lithium battery anodes and the sale of battery-grade lithium materials are benefiting from the Region's state-sponsored labour transfer programmes.
While pointing out solutions for the difficult situation, Arkin stated " We need the global community to be seeing these links, and acting in collaboration across all who are at risk due to the heightened demand for critical minerals. Collaboration could take the form of cooperation on financial incentives and technological innovation, to support alternative markets and technology, to challenge the dominance of the Uyghur Region in the solar supply chains."
She further suggested that the import controls exerted by the US have proven successful in putting pressure on the solar sector to act on the matter. But, there is a need for similar legislation around the world coupled with the measures to support alternative markets to grow. She also mentioned in her statement that the solidarity of the affected communities is also crucial. And disengaging from the region if due diligence is impossible.
While calling for crisis-level international collaboration in the solar sector, Arkin said that collaboration could take the form of cooperation on financial incentives and technological innovation, to support alternative markets and technology, to challenge the dominance of the Uyghur Region in the solar supply chains.
"International cooperation will also make sure that markets have equal access to affordable renewable energy options with high labour, human rights and environmental standards. Cooperation should, above all, seek to enable a truly just transition to meet net-zero commitments," she added.
The International Energy Agency has estimated that roughly 30 countries offer competitive industrial electricity prices for new polysilicon and wafer production, while also offering low manufacturing emissions intensities.
"It is also an opportunity to reduce carbon emissions of the sector. While solar panel manufacturing is always going to generate some CO2 emissions, and carbon payback time frames for solar panels are considered low, it is possible to lower its carbon footprint," added Arkin.
It is critical to note that, although EV manufacturing is increasingly embedded in the Uyghur Region, the Region does not yet have a monopoly over the industry. "Governments and investors must learn from the mistakes of the solar sector and seize this opportunity to redirect investment into companies with clean supply chains," said the Uyghur activist.
Import controls in the US have proven crucial to put pressure on the solar sector to act, but there is a need for comparable legislation around the world, coupled with the above measures to support alternative markets to grow (UFLPA); solidarity across affected communities and disengage from the Region if due diligence is impossible.