July 04, 2006

Munich – The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) expresses its sincere appreciation for the National Endowment for Democracy funding of its human rights works because such funding helps WUC to further promote human rights and democracy among the Uyghur people in the world.

“NED funding means a lot to us and the Uyghur people. I am more than grateful for their decision to fund what we do,” said Erkin Alptekin, WUC president.

The National Endowment for Democracy is a Washington-based private, non-profit organization created in 1983 to strengthen democratic institutions around the world through nongovernmental efforts.

The Endowment is governed by an independent, non-partisan board of directors. With its annual congressional appropriation, it makes hundreds of grants each year to support prodemocracy groups in Africa, Asia, Central andEastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the former Soviet Union.

WUC is the second Uyghur organization that NED has decided to fund. In 2002, the Uyghur American Association (UAA) was funded by NED for the first time. Both WUC and UAA promote human rights, religious freedom and democracy by peaceful means.