On June 22, 2021, expressing grave concerns over the "Uyghur genocide" in China's Xinjiang province, Canada delivered a joint statement on behalf of 42 countries at the UN Humans Rights Council.
China has been accused of committing crimes against humanity and possibly genocide against the Uyghur population and other mostly-Muslim ethnic groups in Xinjiang region.
The Resolution urges China to allow immediate, meaningful and unfettered access to Xinjiang for independent observers.
The statement was backed by major countries Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Australia, Britain, Spain and the United States, among others.
Who are the Uyghurs?
There are about 12 million Uyghurs, mostly Muslim, living in Xinjiang, which is officially known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
The Uyghurs speak their own language, which is similar to Turkish, and see themselves as culturally and ethnically close to Central Asian nations. They make up less than half of the Xinjiang population.
