On October 28, the 71st session of the UN General Assembly elected new members for its Human Rights Council. China was re-elected with an overwhelming majority of votes, becoming one of the few countries in the world elected to the council for four times.
Speaking of the Human Rights Council, many people may be more familiar its predecessor—the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. The commission was established in 1946 to protect the cause of human rights and promote mutual understanding and cooperation among all countries. However, in the special context of the Cold War, it seemed to gradually deviate from its original intent. In the 1990s, Western countries proposed eleven anti-China bills, all of which failed without exception. As it became a tool of political struggle on all sides, the commission lost its reputation and support due to repeated friction and confrontation.
The United Nations Human Rights Council was created in 2006, marking a new phase in the international cause of human rights. It was hoped that dialogue would replace confrontation, cooperation would take the place of imposing pressure and “finger-pointing” would give way to communication and mutual reference in the council. China and 46 other countries were elected founding members of the Human Rights Council, thus opening a new chapter in the governance of global human rights.
China, with an all-embracing attitude, has blazed a trail of human rights suited to its conditions. Among other human rights achievements, the country has solved the problem of food and clothing for its 1.3 billion people. China has lifted more than 700 million people out of poverty while providing employment for 770 million people and achieving full coverage in terms of nine-year compulsory education. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the Human Rights Council. Over the past decade, China has served as a member of the council three times, calling on the international community to pay due attention to economic, social and cultural and developmental rights while urging all parties to discuss issues of concern to developing countries. These concerns include the fight against racial discrimination, the rights of African descendants, the rights of immigrants and the right to peace. Over the past decade, China has supported the Human Rights Council in establishing special mechanisms concerning safe drinking water, cultural rights, the rights of persons with disabilities, human rights, international solidarity and the promotion of democratic and equitable international order. Over the past decade, China has also advocated the convening of special conferences on food security and the international financial crisis. It has also promoted international human rights cooperation concerning the rights of survival and development that developing countries are most concerned with.
China’s re-election to the Human Rights Council with an overwhelming majority of votes indicates the international community recognizes its achievements and the role China plays in human rights development. In its human rights practice, China does not teach others what to do, but instead firmly believes that there is no one universally applicable human rights model. Looking ahead, China will, as always, carry out human rights exchanges, enrich the connotation of cooperation and protect people’s civil and political rights, as well as economic, social and cultural rights.