Remarks at the 5th Congress of the Uyghur American Association
Washington, DC, May 28, 2006

Louisa Greve
Director for East Asia Programs
National Endowment for Democracy

Thank you.   It is a pleasure to be here today, and I am pleased to be invited this morning to express NED’s support for the UAA’s work to realize human rights and democracy for the Uyghur people in your homeland.
At the invitation of the UAA Board, I’m pleased to make a few remarks on the principles and purposes guiding NED’s grant-giving program.

PRINCIPLES GUIDING NED'S SUPPORT

• First, universal ideals.  NED sees international support for democracy building as fundamentally legitimate because it is based on universal principles.  For example, the 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and other UN human-rights covenants.  That means that, for example, we do not support campaigns for ethnic rights in order to side with the Tibetans or the Uyghurs against the Chinese.  Rather, NED supports projects that are guided by fundamental aspirations of all human beings everywhere:  equality before the law, freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, representative government, respect for the dignity of each person.
  
• Second, support for people living in exile who are committed to contributing to a better future for their homeland. NED is unusual among foundations in that it is willing to support exiled pro-democracy groups.  Why is it willing to do this?  Because we understand that in many cases, pro-democracy leaders and groups simply have no voice in their homeland due to extreme political repression.  In situations of severe political repression, like in East Turkestan/Xinjiang, where citizens do not have freedom of speech and cannot advocate for their rights at home, then, activists in the free world must try to create international pressure to ease that repression.  This is the fundamental aim of all international human-rights campaigning. It is essential for critical voices to continue to put pressure on non-democratic governments to put an end to their violations of universal principles of individual rights and dignity.
  
• Third, democratic culture.  NED supports projects aiming to change not only policies but also culture.  Without a whole-hearted embrace of democratic values by the whole society in any given place, democracy will fail there. Therefore NED is particularly committed to projects that explain democratic values, and that encourage popular support for democratic principles among ordinary people, as well as opinion leaders, in every society.
  
• Fourth, pluralism.  NED also believes that it is impossible to predict in advance which kind of pro-democracy activism will prove more decisive at critical moments in a country’s political development.  In addition, different pro-democracy leaders and groups have different talents and strengths. This leads us to adopt the principle of pluralism in grant-making.  We try to support various kinds of projects, based on different groups’ different skills and strengths.  In general, we should seek unity in support of the goals freedom and democracy, and pluralism in different concrete projects designed to help achieve those common goals.
• Fifth, integrity and professionalism. It is not easy to receive a NED grant.  To receive NED support, a group must demonstrate
  
  - that it is thoroughly and completely committed to peaceful, democratic principles in all that it does
  - that it is a consistent voice for democracy and human rights
  - that it is willing to work cooperatively with all those who share democratic values, regardless of race, nationality, religion, or party affiliation
  - that all its information and reporting is carefully verified and documented, so that gains a reputation for accuracy and balance
  - that responds to obstacles and difficult circumstances (such as the concerted Chinese government campaign to discredit and intimidate all Uyghur advocates of democracy and human rights), by ensuring that its reputation remains of the highest possible caliber, maintaining the highest possible standards of ethical behavior, civility, accuracy, and integrity
  
• Sixth, let me make a few more points that I hope will be useful to you when you think about the UAA’s relationship to NED.  NED is a nongovernmental organization.  NED is not an agency of the U.S. government.  The staff (like me, and our President Carl Gershman) are not government officials. 
  NED’s funding is appropriated by the U.S. Congress, so in that sense it is the American taxpayers who are supporting the NED mission.  But we are not the government.
  Therefore it would not be correct to say that NED’s grant for the UHRP represents, “US government support for the Uyghur cause.  
  However, since NED is a major American foundation, it is accurate to say that NED’s support for your work is a strong vote of confidence by a major American institution.  NED is honored that the NED support for the UAA’s Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) has been a source of hope for the American Uyghur community.  We trust that our ongoing relationship will be a source of continued hope, solidarity, and commitment to our common ideals.
• Seventh, in all its work around the world, NED adheres to a consistent set of principles regarding projects it does not fund:
  --NED cannot fund work specifically designed to influence US policy.  Instead, advocacy work must be designed to build broad, international  support for democratic goals
  --NED cannot fund projects that divide people based on party affiliation, religion or ethnicity, or that promote ethnic hatred or narrow nationalism
   
  

To sum up in one sentence how NED sees its role in promoting democracy around the world:  NED’s job is to identify leaders and groups who have a persuasive strategic vision about how to advance democratization in their homeland, as well as plans for effective, concrete projects well-tailored to that vision.  NED’s job is then to put resources in their hands to carry out their work. 
As NED president Carl Gershman often says, "You can't have democracy without democrats."  NED's programs are designed to assist those democrats to pursue their own vision for open, pluralistic, accountable and representative political system and, just as importantly, to foster democratic values and a democratic culture that will support those institutions.

In conclusion, I would like to again express my appreciation for the hard work of the UAA and its members and Board.  Your dedication to making a better future for the Uyghur people is inspiring. 

One particular moment of great joy we have shared since the last Congress was Rebiya Kadeer’s release from prison in China.  The UAA had campaigned tirelessly, along with her family, Amnesty International, and many others, for her release.  I know that the UHRP, for example, provided detailed information to the Rafto Human Rights Foundation in Norway that was very important to the process of considering Rebiya Kadeer for the 2004 Rafto Memorial Prize.  The UHRP also worked closely with the Rafto Foundation, NED, and the Congressional Human Rights Caucus to organize a fitting ceremony on Capitol Hill in January 2005 - and so it was with great happiness that we welcomed her freedom little more than a month later.  It was a great credit and a great encouragement to the UHRP that it was able to celebrate, as such a new project (established only a year before), such a victory for human rights.

I and my colleagues at NED have very much enjoyed working with the UAA leadership and UHRP staff, including, over the past three years, including especially UAA Board members Omer Kanat, Alim Seytoff, Nury Turkel, Kasim Tuman, and Nurmamet Mijit, Rebiya Kadeer and the other members of the UAA Advisory Board, UHRP staff Nury Turkel, Omer Kanat, Kevin Miles, Meagan Landry, Roseann Rife, Ben Carrdus, Amy Reger, and Enver Kadir, and the dedicated volunteers who have assisted the project in so many quiet ways with your time, donations, and moral support.

Congratulations to you all.  You have devoted many hours of mental and physical energy to building up a fledgling human-rights voice for the Uyghur people, working hard to ensure that the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) becomes a respected, credible advocate for Uyghur rights. 

It is never easy for a new organization to develop a reputation for reliable information, to become known for accurate, timely, and comprehensive documentation as well as persuasive advocacy.  The UHRP has already made progress in the past three years in gaining the support of diverse American and international supporters in the face of unrelenting Chinese government efforts to discredit Uyghur voices.  The UHRP staff and the UAA Board understand that this is a long-term effort.  I know the UHRP staff and the new, incoming UAA Board, will continue to work hard ensure that the UHRP’s reputation is one of a very high level of professionalism and integrity.  NED is pleased to support that effort.

All of you here are engaged in an historic mission.  I salute you for your dedication.  I hope with all my heart that one day soon we will meet again in your homeland when all its citizens enjoy freedom and democracy.