Chinese NGOs join United Nations Human Rights Council discussions

Recently, more than 20 Chinese NGOs actively participated in 48th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the discussion of many issues, calling for international solidarity, democracy and fairness. They introduced the progress China has made in human rights while denouncing the human rights realities in the US, Canada and other western countries that human rights are reduced to a political tool, which is widely echoed.

Lin Songtian, President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said that peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom are the common values shared by all humans, and decent employment, food, clothing, housing, medical care and education are the common pursuits of international human rights undertakings. It is the most universal human right to allow all countries to enjoy solidarity, prosperity and dignity. The people-centered approach ensures the realization of all human rights. All countries should respect the diversity and differences between countries and civilizations, and human rights should not be an empty talk, let alone being subject to political manipulation.

The representative of the China Foundation for Human Rights Development said that China has built a moderately prosperous society and promoted coordinated development of human rights while guaranteeing the basic right of survival. This has fully embodied the principles of Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action that all human rights are universal, indispensable, interdependent and interrelated.

China Social Entrepreneur Foundation shared useful experience in providing e-commerce training, financial support and capacity-building courses for rural women to encourage them to start their own business and pursue their dreams. Beijing Youth Legal Aid and Research Center introduced China's policy to protect children's rights and interests and called on all countries to actively implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child, establish a coordination mechanism at the national level, put aside political differences, and strengthen international cooperation to promote the protection for children around the world. The National Association of Vocational Education of China introduced its care project designed to support poor students, provide skill training and promote mass employment and entrepreneurship. China Family Planning Association introduced China's achievements in poverty eradication, social security, maternal and infant health care, and called on the international community to remove obstacles to the growth of developing countries and respect each other for common development.

Liao Tiancheng, representative of UN Association of China and youth representative of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, talked about the restoration of order in Hong Kong after the implementation of the National Security Law. He said the implementation of the National Security Law is key to the sustained stability and security of Hong Kong and believed Hong Kong has a bright future. Dawa Tsering, representative of China Association for Reservation and Development of Tibetan Culture, introduced Tibet’s historic achievements in poverty alleviation and noted that the elimination of dire poverty is the fundamental human right and that China's achievements in poverty eradication are of great significance for international poverty reduction.

China Human Rights, China Foundation for Human Rights Development and AIDS Prevention Education Project for Chinese Youth pointed out that racial discrimination, gender inequality and arbitrary detention of refugees and immigrants are rampant in the US, accusing the US and Canada for violation of the international laws on human rights and undermining the health rights of native Americans. They pointed out that the US and other developed countries pursue vaccine nationalism in the international community, abuse unilateral coercive measures and undermine democracy, fairness and international order. US and other developed countries also use private security services as a tool to violate human rights and evade responsibilities, and adopt double standards on counter-terrorism issues. The US, Britain and Australia have established the security partnership for nuclear-powered submarine cooperation, which is a blatant violation of Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. China NGO Network for International Exchanges blamed Japan for the unilateral decision to discharge nuclear waste into the ocean and called on all governments to strictly abide by international conventions related to the control of dangerous substance and not to undermine the health right of their own people and people of other countries.

Translated by Wu Zidan