US appoints Indian origin Uzra Zeya as the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues

The United States on Monday appointed the US official Uzra Zeya as the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, effective immediately. The International Campaign for Tibet has welcomed the move, while the position had remained vacant for most of Trump's rule in the US.

Washington (USA): The United States appointed the Indian origin US official Uzra Zeya as the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues on Monday. Zeya is currently serving as the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights for the US government, which she will continue doing concurrently with her new role, effective immediately.

Zeya's chief role as the co-coordinator will be to promote substantive dialogues between the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Dalai Lama, his representatives, or democratically elected Tibetan leaders. Under this role, Zeya will coordinate US government policies, programs, and projects concerning Tibetan issues, consistent with the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002, as amended by the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020.

She will also promote respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Tibetans, and shall further support U.S. efforts to address the humanitarian needs of Tibetan refugees and diaspora communities, including those in the United States who have faced threats and intimidation instigated by the PRC. She will further promote activities to protect the environment and sustainably manage the water and other natural resources of the Tibetan plateau.

Additionally, she will seek to increase access to Tibet for U.S. officials, journalists, and other citizen, and will work closely with Tibetan cultural, religious, and political leaders, international allies and partners, and civil society representatives on these matters.

Zeya has decades of experience in the US foreign policy - including on the issue of Tibet. The main aim of this role, which had been lying vacant during most of the Trump's administration, is to promote the human rights of the Tibetan people who have lived under China's oppressive rule for more than six decades. Zeya will be the first Indian American to serve in the role, while India is home to the world's largest population of Tibetan exiles.

The International Campaign for Tibet has welcomed the move and expressed hope that she will work proactively at promoting dialogue between the Dalai Lama's envoys and the Chinese leadership.