On July 4, 2024, United Nations Association of China (UNA-China) held a side-event of the 56th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council entitled “Contribution of the Chinese Modernization to the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights” at Palais des Nations, Geneva. Ms. Hu Wenli, Vice-President and Director-General of UNA-China chaired the event. President of China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, former Chinese Ambassador to Australia Mr. Cheng Jingye, former Chinese Ambassador to Liberia, Executive Board Member of UNA-China Mr. Ren Yisheng, Senior Research Fellow of the Institute for International Strategic and Security Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies(SIIS), and Executive Director of the SIIS Center for International Communications Ms. Li Xin, Director of the Sikh Human Rights Group Mr. Jasdev Singh Rai, Professor of Cross-cultural Law at Utrecht University Mr. Tom Zwart attended the event and delivered keynote speeches. Representatives from the diplomatic corps in Geneva, UN organizations, civil society organizations of China and beyond, as well as media participated in the meeting.


Panelists stated that in the process of Chinese modernization, China adheres to the path of human rights development that conforms to the trend of the times and suits its national conditions. China gives top priority to the rights to subsistence and development. As a developing country with more than 1.4 billion people, China has brought about a historic resolution to the absolute poverty, and built a moderately prosperous society as a whole. Currently, China is actively committed to high-quality development, featuring technological innovation and environmental protection, to achieve harmonious coexistence between human and nature. China upholds peaceful development, puts forward three initiatives on development, security, and civilization, and champions human rights protection by ensuring security, advancing development and enhancing cooperation. China is committed to building an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity.


The participants stressed that at present, the international security and economic situation pose multiple challenges to human rights. The Chinese path to modernization has brought important enlightenment to the healthy development of global human rights. 

-- Prioritize development. The right to development is of special and paramount importance for the Global South. Developed countries cannot ignore the right to subsistence and development. In fact, many of them face urgent problems such as poverty, hunger, and child malnutrition to varying degrees. 

-- Promote common security. All parties should firmly uphold the UN-centered international system and the international order based on international law, pursue common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and seek to resolve differences and disputes between states through dialogue and consultation, to create a more peaceful international environment for the realization of human rights. 

-- Engage in exchanges and mutual learning. Human beings live in a diverse world. Civilizations were formed under different environments and conditions, but they have all made contributions to human progress. Countries face different national conditions and development tasks, and it is natural for them to choose different paths to human rights. There is no fixed human rights model in the world. We need to respect the diversity of civilizations, and the human rights paths that countries independently choose, strengthen exchanges and mutual learning, and promote the common development of global human rights.

-- Uphold equity and justice. Some developed countries consistently apply double standards on human rights issues. They give the green light to their own enterprises for profit, but attempt to use human rights as an excuse to suppress the industry and commerce of countries in the Global South. All countries should firmly oppose politicization of human rights, and reject any attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries or contain their development under the pretext of human rights. The UN Human Rights Council and other multilateral human rights bodies need to follow the principles of impartiality, objectivity, non-selectivity in their work and operation, correct the tendency to prioritize civil and political rights over economic, social and cultural rights, and accelerate the implementation of the right to development. They should ensure that the UN human rights system truly becomes a platform for dialogue and cooperation, so as to play a truly positive role in promoting international human rights.