Injecting Positive Energy into Human Rights Governance and Promoting Common Development Cooperation | Global | Human Rights

From June 14th to 15th, the Global Forum on Human Rights Governance was held in Beijing. The forum is themed "Equality, Cooperation, and Development: The 30th Anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and Global Human Rights Governance". More than 300 Chinese and foreign guests from nearly a hundred countries and international organizations, including United Nations agencies, were invited to participate and provide suggestions for promoting the development of global human rights industry.

China is a participant, builder, and contributor to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. Over the past 30 years, China has implemented the spirit of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and contributed its strength to the development of international human rights. Chinese and foreign guests unanimously believe that addressing the issues and challenges of global human rights governance requires the concerted efforts of the international community, upholding the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom for all mankind, seeking the greatest consensus on human rights governance, striving to enhance the well-being of people around the world, and creating a better future for the world.

Development is a prerequisite for the realization of human rights

The right to survival and development are the most fundamental human rights. Having equal development opportunities, sharing development achievements, and realizing full development rights are the unremitting pursuit of human society.

"China will continue to increase the investment of global development resources to inject positive energy into human rights governance." Luo Zhaohui, Director of the China National Agency for International Development Cooperation, said that China has ensured the right to subsistence and development of 1.4 billion people by eliminating absolute poverty and adhering to people's democracy throughout the process, and the process of realizing Chinese path to modernization is the process of constantly promoting the development of human rights. China will continue to increase its investment in international development cooperation resources, committed to narrowing the gap between North and South, and achieving common development among developing countries.

Akmar Saidov, the First Vice President of Uzbekistan and Director of the National Center for Human Rights, pointed out the importance of respecting the unique development models of each country in human rights protection. Each country has different historical, cultural, and social backgrounds, but we share common human rights. In development, it is necessary to fully recognize the different social mechanisms and economic development models of each country, as well as the unique needs of its people. Only in this way can we find the best path to protect human rights.

"Development is a prerequisite for the realization of human rights, and human rights are the products of development." Zheng Yongnian, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Dean of the Qianhai Institute of International Affairs, believes that in the context of human rights becoming an ideology, the US and the West are promoting the concept of "rights first, development later". Therefore, there are many additional conditions for investment in developing countries, which has led to many developing countries being in poverty or underdevelopment for a long time.

International human rights cause requires unity and cooperation

30 years ago, the World Conference on Human Rights adopted the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, which increasingly deepened the concepts of development for human rights and cooperation for human rights. Currently, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change, with an increasing tendency towards politicization of human rights, and the international human rights cause is facing severe challenges. In this context, revisiting the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action is of great significance.

"International cooperation plays an important role in promoting and protecting human rights." In his speech, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Trade and Papua Affairs of Antigua and Barbuda, Avoli Paul Chet Green, stated that the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action promotes international cooperation by creating consensus in the field of human rights, encouraging dialogue and exchange among countries, sharing practical achievements, and providing technical assistance to strengthen the construction of the global human rights system. The declaration emphasizes the principles of non discrimination and inclusiveness, ensuring that marginalized and vulnerable groups have access to resources and promoting comprehensive social progress.

Namizata Sangare, President of the Ivorian National Human Rights Council, pointed out that countries should strive to build an inclusive society where every individual can enjoy their basic rights without hindrance. To achieve such goals, international cooperation is a key factor. No matter how powerful a country is, it is impossible to solve the global problems it currently faces alone.

"In my opinion, there is still a bridge that can truly achieve cross-cultural understanding and unite the East and the West in the right way." Stephen Brauer, director of the Swedish "the Belt and Road" Institute, believes that achieving the common interests of all countries is an effective way to promote solidarity and cooperation, which is the intersection of human rights issues and the "the Belt and Road" initiative, as well as the convergence of the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind. The "the Belt and Road" initiative has paved the way to peace, which is a real way of human rights development and a way to eliminate global poverty.

China has made significant contributions to the progress of global human rights cause

For a long time, China has actively participated in the work of the United Nations human rights mechanisms and is the only major country in the world that has continuously formulated and implemented four phases of national human rights action plans. It has made positive contributions to promoting the construction of a more fair, just, reasonable and inclusive global human rights governance system.

"China has made significant contributions to the progress of global human rights by protecting the human rights of its own people and promoting international human rights cooperation." Aslan Abashize, Vice Chairman and Rapporteur of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and Director of International Law at the Moscow Institute of International Relations, emphasized that while actively providing international assistance, China has also made tremendous efforts to protect the right to development of its own people. One example is China's elimination of extreme poverty. China achieved the poverty reduction goal of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of schedule, which is not only a victory for China, but also a victory for humanity.

Robert Lawrence Kuhn, Chairman of the Kuhn Foundation in the United States, recalls his more than 30 years of work and life experience in China, stating that he once thought he knew China very well, but it was not until he personally went to impoverished areas that he understood what was needed to overcome poverty. "I was surprised to find that millions of impoverished families in China each have their own files and customized poverty alleviation plans. Local officials are sent to impoverished villages to manage poverty alleviation work, sometimes for up to two years." He said that poverty reduction is the best proof of China's emphasis on human rights.

Zhang Weiwei, Dean of the Chinese Academy of Sciences at Fudan University, believes that China is at the forefront of poverty reduction in the world, which is a huge inspiration and inspiration for developing countries, as the biggest challenge they face is how to reduce poverty. From the perspective of human rights protection, China's global development initiatives and poverty reduction concepts and practices have greatly enriched the connotation of global human rights governance. It is believed that more and more developing countries will benefit from China's experience.