China always regards rights to subsistence and development as primary and basic human rights
By He Yin, People’s Daily
The 47th regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted a resolution submitted by China on the contribution of development to the enjoyment of all human rights on July 12, reaffirming that development makes a significant contribution to the enjoyment of all human rights by all, the aim of development is to constantly improve the well-being of the entire population and that countries should meet the aspiration of the people for a better life.
In their remarks at the session, representatives of other countries commended this important draft resolution submitted by China and thanked China for its leading role. They stressed that development is critical to countries, especially developing countries, adding that without development, it would be impossible to achieve enjoyment of human rights and overcome the challenges brought by COVID-19.
It was the third time that the UNHRC adopted a resolution on the contribution of development to the enjoyment of all human rights submitted by China. In June 2017, the UN human rights body adopted a resolution from China on development issues in an overwhelming vote, introducing the concept “development promotes human rights” into the international human rights system for the first time. In July 2019, the UNHRC adopted a resolution submitted by China on development issues for the second time.
By holding high the banner of development, China makes the common aspirations and wishes of developing countries heard by the world, winning wide support from the international community.
Development is mankind’s eternal quest and creates conditions for the realization of various human rights. The UN Declaration on the Right to Development specified that the right to development is an inalienable human right.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, global poverty and inequality are increasingly prominent, becoming major obstacles to protecting human rights. In the face of grave global challenges, countries are in urgent need of better protecting the rights to subsistence and development, safeguarding and improving people’s well-being in development, and promoting human rights through development.
As the largest developing country in the world, China is well aware that development is the key to solving all China’s problems as well as a driver of human rights progress in the country. Based on China’s prevailing realities, the Communist Party of China (CPC) considers the rights to subsistence and development the primary human rights, driving continuous development and progress of the country’s human rights cause.
After long-term unremitting efforts, the Chinese people have, under the leadership of the CPC, attained liberation, secured adequate food and clothing, become better off and achieved moderate prosperity in all respects step by step, and they are now heading toward a higher level of common prosperity.
China has made earnest efforts to ensure people’s right to subsistence, significantly improved its protection of the people’s economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights, coordinated the protection of civil and political rights, and protected the rights of special groups in all respects.
The process during which the CPC led more than 1.4 billion Chinese people toward a happy life represents exactly the Party’s great practice of promoting the development of China’s human rights cause.
All Chinese people are enjoying the huge dividends brought by the country’s development, which is a remarkable achievement in human rights in the world, said a Spanish scholar who has visited China over 50 times.
While being committed to its own development, China has taken concrete actions to promote the common development of all.
Over the past seven decades or so, the country has assisted 166 countries and international organizations, sent over 600,000 people on aid missions. It has provided medical assistance for 69 countries, and helped more than 120 developing countries achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals.
China has actively participated in international cooperation on poverty reduction and is helping many people in developing countries get rid of poverty. By joining hands with other countries in building the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has helped promote the development of countries along the routes of the BRI, which is expected to help lift 7.6 million people out of extreme poverty and 32 million people out of moderate poverty in countries involved.
China has always been committed to promoting world peace and progress and making the fruits of development benefit more countries and people, making major contributions to international human rights development.
It is believed that China will safeguard the rights of the Chinese people at a higher level as it continues developing in the future. The country will make a greater contribution to the protection of human rights, enabling the world to develop better and become more prosperous.
