A few days ago, the 45th session of the Working Group on Country Practices Reviews of the United Nations Human Rights Council unanimously approved the report on China's participation in the fourth round of country reviews of human rights practices. Warm applause rang out at the meeting, and representatives of many countries congratulated the Chinese delegation.
Country-by-country human rights reviews are an important platform for countries to engage in equal and frank exchanges on human rights issues and to engage in constructive dialogue and cooperation within the framework of the United Nations. In this round of deliberations, the Chinese delegation, composed of representatives of more than 20 ministries and commissions and the ** Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Macao Special Administrative Region, introduced the development path of Chinese human rights and new measures for Chinese human rights protection in an open and frank manner, and engaged in constructive dialogue with all parties, winning the appreciation of all parties. At the meeting, voices that positively evaluated the achievements of Chinese's human rights cause became the mainstream.
China has embarked on a path of human rights development that conforms to the trend of the world and suits China's national conditions, and has made historic achievements in the cause of human rights, providing an excellent example for the development of the international human rights cause, and contributing China's wisdom and strength to improving global human rights governance.
Respecting and protecting human rights must adhere to the people-centered approach. A happy life for the people is the greatest human right. In developing the cause of human rights, all countries should take the interests of the people as the starting point and the end goal, constantly resolve the issues of the people's most immediate and realistic interests, and strive to enable the people to live a happy life. Whether the people's interests are safeguarded and whether the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security has been enhanced is the most important criterion for judging a country's human rights situation.
To respect and protect human rights, we must persist in proceeding from the realities of each country. Human rights are historical, concrete, and realistic, and different countries have different national conditions, different histories, cultures, social systems, and levels of economic and social development. This was felt by many countries during their participation in their human rights reviews. Detaching from reality and copying other countries' institutional models in its entirety will not only be unadaptable, but will also bring disastrous consequences.
To respect and protect human rights, we must adhere to the principle of taking into account all types of human rights. The connotation of human rights is comprehensive and rich, and it is necessary to implement comprehensive policies and promote them systematically. For too long, economic, social and cultural rights have not been given the same importance as civil and political rights. In October 2023, the UN Human Rights Council adopted the resolution on the promotion and protection of economic, social and cultural rights in the context of the elimination of inequality proposed by China for the first time, promoting the UN human rights bodies to make important strides in promoting the two types of human rights in a balanced manner, which was widely supported by developing countries, and 80 countries joined the co-sponsors. During China's participation in the country-by-country human rights review, China announced its new measures to support international cooperation on economic, social and cultural rights, which were widely welcomed and appreciated by all parties.
To respect and protect human rights, we must adhere to dialogue and cooperation. The full enjoyment of human rights by all is the great dream of human society. This requires joint consultation and joint efforts of all countries. There is no such thing as a perfect "ideal country" on the human rights issue, and there is no need for "teachers" who dictate to other countries, still less can we politicize and instrumentalize human rights issues, practice double standards, and interfere in other countries' internal affairs under the pretext of human rights. UN human rights bodies such as the Human Rights Council are platforms for dialogue and cooperation, not places for confrontation and pressure. Through dialogue and cooperation, all countries should enhance understanding, resolve differences, and promote the development of global human rights governance in a more fair, just, reasonable and inclusive direction.
On January 1 this year, China began its term as a member of the Human Rights Council. China will unswervingly follow the path of human rights development with Chinese characteristics, take the future of mankind and the well-being of the people in mind, actively participate in leading global human rights governance, and jointly promote the healthy development of the international human rights cause for the benefit of people in all countries.
The author is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland).