United Nations Human Rights Council File Photo: VCG

 
China actively participates in global human rights governance, and does not accept accusations based on false information but is willing to work with other countries and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the basis of mutual respect and equality to promote the healthy development of the international human rights cause, Ambassador Chen Xu, permanent representative of China to the United Nations (UN) office in Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, said on Wednesday. 

Chen made the remarks at the interactive dialogue session of the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council while discussing the annual report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and outlining China's position.

In today's world, conflicts and confrontations persist, a Cold War mentality is resurging, and the development gap is widening, posing challenges to global human rights governance. In this context, all parties should practice true multilateralism, respect national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and appreciate the diversity of world civilizations, said Chen.

Human rights should be safeguarded through security, promoted through development, and advanced through cooperation, ensuring that all people can fairly enjoy various human rights, including the right to peace and development, Chen said. 

Chen noted that China adheres to a people-centered approach and has developed a human rights path that suits its national conditions, advancing equality and shared human rights of all ethnic groups within the framework of Chinese-style modernization. 

China actively participates in global human rights governance, supports the work of UN human rights mechanisms, and engages in candid and constructive dialogue with other countries through the Universal Periodic Review, Chen said. 

China does not accept any accusations based on false information and is willing to work with other countries and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the basis of mutual respect and equality to promote the healthy development of the international human rights cause, said the ambassador. 

Also on Wednesday, Chen delivered a joint statement on behalf of the Group of Friends on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights through Dialogue and Cooperation and a group of countries at the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council, opposing the double standards of certain countries that use human rights as a pretext to interfere in the internal affairs of developing countries.

The enjoyment of human rights by all is a common pursuit of humanity. The Human Rights Council and other international human rights mechanisms must uphold fairness and justice, abide by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the UN, and adhere to the principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity, non-politicization and non-selectivity in their work and operation, according to the joint statement.

Some countries interfere in the internal affairs of developing countries on the pretext of human rights while turning a blind eye to and evading serious human rights violations within their own borders and those of their allies. "We oppose such double standards," the statement read. 

There is no one-size-fits-all route to human rights development in the world, and no country should impose its own model on others, according to the statement. 

"We must respect each country's exploration of its own path to human rights development that best fits its national reality, and promote the fair enjoyment of human rights by all peoples of all nations with peace and development, fostering the healthy development of the international human rights cause," said Chen.

The joint statement received widespread support from developing countries, and many countries echoed it in their speeches at the session.

Global Times