This year marks the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Vienna Declaration and Plan of Action. The document sets forth important principles, such as “the promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms must be in accordance with the Charter and principles of the United Nations” and “the international community must promote effective international cooperation, realizing the right to development should, and should remove obstacles to development”, which is considered one of the landmark documents in the history of global human rights development.
30 years later, the world has entered a new period of upheaval and change. Wars, conflicts, financial crises and anti-globalization pose serious challenges to the development of global human rights. Against this backdrop, where is global human rights governance headed? As the proponent and executor of the Vienna Declaration and Action Plan, how does China view this issue?
On June 14, Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a congratulatory letter sent to the High-End Forum on Global Human Rights Governance held in Beijing, called for protecting human rights through security, promoting human rights through development, and promoting human rights through cooperation. Advancing, and the Global Security Initiative, the Global Development Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative were introduced. This is China’s latest proposal on global human rights governance, which is highly relevant and provides important guidelines for promoting international human rights cooperation.
Security is the basis of human rights protection. At present, some countries exaggerate the “big power competition”, incite confrontation between camps, instigate wars and conflicts, and continue to increase world security risks, endangering people’s lives and lives in many countries. There is a serious threat to livelihood. At the Forum, the common view of the participants is that China’s global security initiative has important practical significance for reforming global human rights governance. Jean-Pierre Page, editor in chief of the French magazine Free Thought, cited the Ukrainian crisis as an example. He believes that China’s effort to constructively promote peace talks is very important. The crisis can be resolved quickly only by building a more comprehensive security framework that takes into account the concerns of all parties.
Development is the basis of human rights protection. In this context, China has successfully lifted 770 million rural people out of poverty, achieved the poverty eradication target of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of schedule, and promoted the common prosperity of all people. Used to be. French entrepreneur Arnaud Bertade traveled throughout China and was greatly impressed by China’s poverty alleviation achievements. He believed that “this is the biggest and fastest poverty alleviation achievement in the history of the world”.
Visitors from developing countries generally agree that the right to life and the right to development are primary human rights. The protection of human rights is the common ideal of mankind, and should not be politicized or weaponized. However, some Western countries become “blind” to their own human rights abuses, and on the other hand use “human rights” as an excuse to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs and prevent other countries’ development . Only when people in all countries live a good life can prosperity be created, security guaranteed, and human rights founded. China will continue to negotiate and cooperate with the international community to improve global human rights governance.
