Seventy-five years after Universal Declaration, China’s ideas and initiatives are vital globally

(SONG CHEN / CHINA DAILY)

Editor’s note: The China Society for Human Rights Studies recently held a seminar to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which fell on Dec 10. Following are excerpts from the speeches three experts delivered on the occasion:

Cultural inclusiveness remains valuable legacy

No other human rights document has had such a profound impact on the development of human society as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Although 75 years have passed since then, the role and influence of the declaration have not diminished one bit. It still inspires the international community to work hard to protect and promote human rights.

The declaration has had such an impact and holds such an important position in society because of its rationality and universality. Its rationality lies in its advocacy of human rights values that meet the requirements of human progress, and its universality lies in its proposal of a universal ideal and pursuit based on basic human morality, and setting global human rights standards beyond any specific culture or civilization. The rationality and universality of the declaration are the result of different civilizations embracing the spirit of inclusiveness.

It is precisely because of the spirit of inclusiveness that the declaration has universal significance. Without the participation of the drafters from different societies and cultures, and without the inclusive coexistence of different cultures and societies, the universal nature of the declaration would not have been possible. The vitality of the declaration lies in its spirit of inclusiveness. This is the most precious legacy of the declaration, which is an eternal source of inspiration.

Although historic achievements have been made in human rights development worldwide over the past 75 years, the goal of ensuring that everyone enjoys human rights and fundamental freedoms is yet to be achieved.

Numerous challenges need to be overcome to safeguard human rights and promote the well-being of all people. The challenges include taking care of the large number of refugees due to regional conflicts, alleviating poverty which has increased because of the widening development gap and the COVID-19 pandemic, preventing the violation of the right to life of ethnic minorities because of racial discrimination, and addressing the problems of unsustainable development caused by climate change and environmental degradation.

Also, some countries still promote the so-called universalist concept of human rights, pursue hegemony on the pretext of protecting human rights, politicize and weaponize human rights, and use human rights as a tool to create divisions and confrontations rather than unifying and deepening cooperation across societies.

China upholds the spirit of inclusiveness irrespective of the differences in civilizations and cultures. It has proposed the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, has been advocating the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom for all humanity, and has put forward the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, and called for the protection of human rights through strengthened security, and promotion of human rights through development and cooperation.

More importantly, China’s ideas, initiatives, and propositions have played an important role in promoting global human rights governance, and the development of the global human rights cause.

Lu Guangjin, a professor at the School of Law, Jilin University.

Initiatives contribute to human rights governance

China has proposed the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, which can help solve the problems associated with human rights protection and improve global human rights governance.

Examining the logical relationship between the core elements of the three global initiatives, it can be seen that security is a prerequisite for development because without a peaceful environment, development would be impossible. 

Development is the foundation of security and civilizations, as only through development and prosperity can peace be sustainable and civilization progress. And civilization is the result of security and development, and can also provide spiritual support for security and development.

The three initiatives not only complement each other but also are inseparable from each other. Together, they have the capacity to improve global human rights governance and strengthen the global human rights cause.

As the proposer and implementer of the three global initiatives, China not only focuses on improving the lives and livelihoods of the Chinese people but also endeavors to help improve the well-being of humanity as a whole, providing important practical experience and guidance for promoting global human rights governance and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Development promotes human rights, facilitating the resolution of global issues. Security safeguards human rights, ensuring global peace. Cooperation promotes human rights and helps build a new form of civilization.

To improve global human rights governance, it is necessary to pool the efforts of all parties. Government departments, international organizations, experts, and scholars committed to strengthening the global human rights cause should boost communication, enhance mutual trust, and seek common ground while reserving their differences.

Countries across the world need to work together to protect and promote human rights, and advance civilizations while adhering to the principles of diversity, independence, openness, and inclusiveness.

They also need to promote the common human values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom, and strive to build an inclusive global human rights governance system, so as to better protect human rights.

Fu Zitang, head of the Human Rights Institute, Southwest University of Political Science and Law.

Ethics of technology and human rights in digital age

Science and technology have played a key role in the protection of human rights since the dawn of industrial society. In today’s digital age, new technologies represented by generative artificial intelligence (AI) are changing the way people live and work.

AI has made our lives and work more convenient, but it has also caused problems such as risks of personal information leaks, weakening of data security, “black box” algorithms, deepfakes, information cocooning, big data-enabled price discrimination against existing customers, the widening digital divide, and “data poisoning”. These are some of the real human rights issues that countries need to address.

There is an increasing need to raise people’s awareness of the ethics of AI technology, strengthen AI governance, ensure that AI innovations are safe and ethical, and see to it that the development of science and technology strengthens human rights protection.

Chinese society has always attached great importance to ethical and moral standards. China has a distinctive and rich ethical and moral evaluation system, which represents a significant strength of the Chinese civilization.

Digital technology has been advancing in leaps and bounds, and digital transformation is progressing at an accelerated pace. China, as a digital resources powerhouse, is already a major player in digital governance. It should strive to strengthen the governance of AI technology ethics in order to promote global human rights governance in the digital era.

First, it is necessary to ensure science and technology are used for the good of humankind, and that their use is ethical. People’s awareness of AI ethics should be raised to promote the healthy development of the AI sector and ensure that high-tech innovations help fulfill people’s yearning for a better life.

Second, there is a need to strengthen the ethical governance of science and technology, particularly by tightening legal supervision, strengthening ethical reviews, and promoting law-based governance.

Third, it is essential to specify the responsible parties and reinforce ethical oversight throughout the industry chains, including the design, R&D, and production links, so as to ensure that scientific R&D activities adhere to ethical values and comply with universally accepted behavioral norms.

Science and technology have a profound effect on people’s lives today, unlike 75 years ago when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drawn up. We can effectively promote global human rights governance in the era of AI technology only if we adapt to the new situation and new characteristics of the human rights cause, attach due value to the ethical review of science and technology developments, optimize the governance of science and technology, and strike a balance between technology innovations and human rights protection, so as to better protect and promote human rights in the digital era.

Han Xiutao, director of the Center for SciTech and Human Rights Studies, Beijing Institute of Technology. 

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.