China strives for greater progress in human rights

China strives for greater progress in human rights

By He Yin, People's Daily

An international symposium marking the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was held in Beijing on Dec. 5.

Both Chinese and foreign participants in the symposium had in-depth discussions on the historical significance and contemporary value of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, advocating for safeguarding human rights through enhancing security, advancing human rights through development and facilitating human rights through cooperation. Together, they have further injected positive energy into the human rights development of the world.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is of great significance for the development of human civilization. It has a profound impact on human rights advancement across the world.

It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on Dec. 10, 1948, and over the past 75 years, the international community has worked relentlessly toward the goal envisaged in the Declaration. The promotion and protection of human rights has taken deep root in people's hearts. The international human rights system has been improved. And countries around the world have taken more effective measures to promote and protect human rights.

Participants in the symposium noted that the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights should serve as an opportunity to uphold the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, strengthen dialogue and cooperation, foster consensus, and promote the healthy development of the global human rights cause.

China is an active advocate of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government have always considered the promotion and protection of human rights to be essential. Applying the principle of universality of human rights to China's national realities, the country has made leapfrog progress in its human rights cause. It has opened a new path for human rights development that adapts to the changing times and suits its national conditions.

Since the country entered the new era, China has prioritized respecting and protecting human rights as an important aspect of national governance and scored a series of new, historic achievements.

China has eradicated absolute poverty, once and for all, on its land. It has established the world’s largest education, social security, and health care systems. China has further advanced its socialist democracy, and steadily improved its whole-process people’s democracy, creating more forms of democracy and expanding channels for democracy. China has also improved its legal system to fully protect the rights of women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities.

China has taken a people-centered approach to human rights. It safeguards and improves people's livelihoods and protects and promotes human rights through development, and makes sure that development is for the people and by the people, and that its fruits are shared among the people. It is continuing its work so that the people will have a greater sense of happiness, benefit and security, and achieve well-rounded development.

Syldie Manirerekana, assistant to Burundi's minister of foreign affairs and development cooperation, said China's human rights philosophy and its practice can provide good reference for others.

Taking an active part in global human rights governance, China has made its contribution to and provided Chinese solutions for the development of the global cause of human rights.

Currently, global human rights governance is facing grave challenges. A few countries are practicing double standards, politicizing, weaponizing and instrumentalizing human rights issues, which seriously impedes the healthy development of the international human rights cause.

China always follows the spirit of the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It has substantially participated in the work of the United Nations Human Rights Council and other multilateral human rights bodies, and has contributed to the adoption of major international human rights conventions and declarations.

China's vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind has been incorporated in a number of United Nations Human Rights Council resolutions, providing a Chinese approach to international protection of human rights. China has carried out exchanges and cooperation with United Nations human rights mechanisms and with over 30 countries and regions, contributing to global human rights progress.

Luis Delgado, academic director of Venezuela's Center for Higher Studies in Development and Emerging Economies, said that China has proposed a series of concepts and initiatives advocating that all countries work together to steer global human rights governance toward greater fairness, justice, equity and inclusiveness, which will make positive contribution to achieving more fair and sustainable global human rights governance.

There is no one-size-fits-all path to human rights development in the world. All countries deserve the right to independently choose their own path of advancing human rights. Different civilizations and countries need to respect, accommodate, interact with and learn from each other.

It is a historical responsibility that the international community fulfill the goal of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights together. All parties must promote common security and create a secure and tranquil international environment for realizing human rights; prioritize development to provide a more solid material foundation for realizing human rights; engage in exchanges and mutual learning to provide more choices of routes to human rights advancement; uphold equity and justice to provide a more effective platform of cooperation for realizing human rights.

China is willing to, on the basis of equality and mutual respect, engage in human rights dialogue and cooperation, expand consensus, reduce differences, learn from each other, and make joint progress together with all parties, so as to promote the international human rights cause and benefit people around the world.

The full enjoyment of human rights by all people has long been an ambitious dream of humanity. China will continue to promote and protect human rights, participate in global human rights governance, act on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and champion humanity’s common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom, striving for greater progress in human rights in the world.