Mr. President, Mr. High Commissioner,

Honourable Panelists,

Dear Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Last October, at its 54th session, the Human Rights Council adopted by consensus a resolution on the promotion and protection of economic, social and cultural rights within the context of addressing inequalities (A/HRC/RES/54/22). The resolution, co-sponsored by 80 countries, contributes to bridging differences and promoting cooperation. In continuation of this positive momentum, I am delighted to be here today with all of you and to share some of China’s experiences and practices.

Human rights are not elusive or abstract concepts, rather they are tangible benefits that can be seen and felt in such areas as housing, education, employment and being free from violence and fear. In China, by drawing on our successful experiences in respecting and safeguarding human rights, we have found a development path of human rights that is in keeping with the trend of the times and consistent with our national conditions. Our achievements in addressing inequality and in promoting economic, social and cultural rights are nothing short of history making: the successful lifting of nearly 100 million rural population out of poverty; the establishment of the world's largest systems on education, social security and health-care, to name just a few. When it comes to the protection of  specific groups such as persons with disabilities,  our efforts have also borne fruits: the adoption of China’s first law on the construction of a barrier-free environment, the establishment of a university dedicated  exclusively to rehabilitation, the first  such university that the world has ever seen; the putting in place a more inclusive and friendly environment for persons with disabilities to participate in social life on an equal footing and realize their dreams in life. At the just concluded Paris Paralympics, Chinese athletes won 220 medals and set 20 world records. For every participant of the Game, being there is a feat beyond oneself, a freedom from the shackles of disability.  

Dear colleagues,

Human rights protection is an ongoing process which requires our consistent efforts for improvement.  In the recently-held third Plenary Session of the Twentieth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, a decision was adopted regarding the further and comprehensive reform and the advancement of the Chinese-style modernization, with focus on reform initiatives in the next five years. The decision contains over 300 reform measures, covering economic, political and cultural aspects as well as in the social and ecological spheres. It is a comprehensive document for the full protection of human rights. The reform initiatives contained therein are designed to   overcome the systemic and institutional shortcomings, to promote high-quality development. This means while the bigger and better “development cake” is being made, we are doing a better job in dividing the “cake”, in enhancing our people’s well-being, in promoting social justice, in raising the level of human rights protection, and in allowing the fruits of modernization to benefit all people in a better and fairer way.

In the field of economic, social and cultural rights within the context of addressing inequalities, China will undertake major reform measures, including:

- Improving the social assistance system through dynamic monitoring of low-income groups to ensure proactive detection, timely assistance and sustained support, guaranteeing their most basic rights and needs.

- Establishing a system of multi-tiered and categorized support for low-income rural residents and underdeveloped areas, leaving no one behind.

- Improving mechanisms for implementing the coordinated regional development strategy to promote shared prosperity between urban and rural areas and narrow regional disparities.

- Refining the social security system and adapting to the new forms of employment arising from emerging digital technologies, thereby improving the inclusiveness, fundamentality and fairness of social protection.

- Fostering digital empowerment by expanding access to quality educational resources through the national smart public service platform for education, aiming to reduce educational divide.

- Making greater efforts to develop a public-benefit childcare service system and improving reproductive health and child healthcare services and developing silver economy, so as to protect the rights of women, children and the elderly.

- Improving the environmental governance system and implementing fiscal, tax, financial investment, and pricing policies as well as standards to support green and low-carbon development, to actively address triple global crisis.

Dear colleagues,

The failure to realise economic, social and cultural rights along with inequalities among and within countries are a significant contributor to exacerbating contradictions and conflicts. Equal enjoyment of these rights is the foundation for realising all human rights and is an urgent requirement for preserving peace and stability, promoting sustainable development and addressing global challenges. To this end, China puts forward the following proposals:

Utilize the role of the OHCHR. We welcome the concept of “human rights economy” put forward by the OHCHR, which put people and earth at the center of economic policies, and thank the Office for its work in the field of achieving economic social and cultural rights and eliminating inequalities. An ESCR knowledge hub has been established in line with the resolution 54/22. We hope the OHCHR will make full use of the knowledge hub to provide countries with technical support and capacity building.

Rectify the historical imbalance in the UN human rights mechanism. For long, the economic social and cultural rights have been marginalized in the Council. The resources and attention given to the special mechanisms and mandate holders in this field are far less than that of civil and political rights. In the first 3 UPR cycles, recommendations related to economic social and cultural rights only account for 21%, which is half of the number of the recommendations on civil and political rights. We should work together to increase the input to economic social and cultural rights, and balance these 2 groups of human rights in the human right ecosystem.

Strengthen multilateralism and international cooperation. States have intertwined fates and share weal and woe. No state can thrive in isolation, only unity and cooperation can lead to lasting and steady progress. As the 80th anniversary of UN is approaching, we call upon all countries to uphold multilateralism, strengthen exchange and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual respect, jointly maintain peace, promote development, reject UCMs, and ensure equal enjoyment of all human rights for all.

Dear colleagues,

China stands ready to work with all for an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, to build the community of mankind for a shared future, and jointly promote the healthy development of international human rights cause.

Thanks.