Southern   Mongolia   sits  within  the  borders  of  the  People’s  Republic  of  China,  where  it  is officially named  the “Inner  Mongolia  Autonomous Region”  and stretches    horizontally  along the northern  border with  Mongolia  proper.  The  region  was designated in 1947,  and grew  to incorporate other  contiguous regions  with  sizable  Mongol  populations. Recent  census  data shows  that  with  24  million  people,  the majority  of  the  population is Han  Chinese.  With  a population of 4 million,  ethnic  Mongols  are  a minority within  their  own  region.  Within  the Mongol  population, there  are numerous  subgroups  who  speak Mongol  languages, such  as the Oirats and the Buryats.

 As  an  ethnic,  cultural,  and  linguistic  minority  within  the  region,  Mongol  communities are subject  to myriad  discriminatory practices  by Chinese  authorities. The  sustained  oppression Mongols  experience  is  both  geopolitical  and  ethnic  in  nature.  In  these  communities,  the foremost   sources   of  suffering   are internal   displacements,  as  a  result   of  environmental degradation and land-grabbing, as well  as ethnic discrimination, particularly regarding  their religious  and  political  identities. Mongols  are denied  political and civil  rights  in addition  to land rights, while suffering widespread human rights violations  all the while. Their disenfranchisement is the result of long-term  and compounded repression, which leaves them with few viable alternative paths to empowerment.

As in the case for other ethnic minorities in China, the issues facing Mongol communities are manifold and interconnected. There is cyclical pattern to the abuses they suffer, which leads certain issues to exacerbate others, such as intensive farming leading to environmental degradation. UNPO will co-host a conference alongside the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC) on the rights of minorities in Southern Mongolia 

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Opening Remarks:

MEP Csaba Sógor

 

Mr Enghebatu Togochog,

Director of the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center

"Overview of Human Rights Conditions of Southern Mongolia"

 

Mr Hatgin Dolgion,

President of the Inner Mongolian People's Party

"Aspiration for Freedom and Self-determination, History of Southern Mongolian Resistance Movements"

 

Mr Tsetsent Satoga,

Founding Member of the Inner Mongolian People's Party;

"China's Ethnic Policy and the Indigenous Rights of Southern Mongolia"

 

Dr Chuluu Ujiyediin,

Member of the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center;

"China's Environmental Destruction in Southern Mongolia"

 

Mr Dugarjba L. Hotala,

Independent researcher and Founder of InterMongol Network;

"Mongolian Language, Culture and Identity under Chinese Colonization"

 

 

To attend the event, please register here.

For further information, please contact Lucia Parrucci l.parrucci@unpo.org