Uyghur Policy Act of 2023

What it does

This bill addresses human rights issues concerning the Uyghurs and other minority groups residing primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in China.

The bill authorizes the establishment of a Special Coordinator for Uyghur Issues position within the Department of State.

The State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs may, subject to appropriations, make certain funds available to human rights advocates working on behalf of Uyghurs and members of other persecuted minority groups from the XUAR. The funds, if made available, shall be used to facilitate the presence of such human rights advocates at public diplomacy forums to speak on issues related to the human rights and religious freedoms of persecuted minority groups in China.

The State Department must ensure that Uyghur language training is available to Foreign Service officers. It must also ensure that a Uyghur-speaking member of the Foreign Service is assigned to U.S. diplomatic and consular posts in China.

Summary by the Congressional Research Service, Feb 15, 2024 (Passed House). CRS summarizes bills impartially; it does not take positions.