Diversity of approaches called for on liberties

There should be more than one approach to address human rights, and the right to survival and development is the most urgent approach for developing countries, experts and officials said.

They made the remarks at the two-day Forum on Global Human Rights Governance held in Beijing on Wednesday and Thursday, which gathered more than 300 experts and officials from over 100 countries.

"Many countries, ... especially the Global South, have been wrongly told for decades (by the West) that the only way for them to address and understand human rights is to follow the Western bond," said Zoon Ahmad Khan, a research fellow from the Center for China and Globalization.

"Today, we are able to not only have diverse perspectives, but also understand that practical development needs to be prioritized for us to be able to make any meaningful progress on human rights."

Sudheendra Kulkarni, who was an aide to India's former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, told China Daily he was impressed that representatives from so many developing countries were invited to attend the forum, something often not seen at meetings on similar topics held by Western countries.

Experts agreed that the right to survival and development is the most urgent human right for developing countries, which account for about 85 percent of the global population.

"Western human rights approaches are grounded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, like the rest of us as well, but tends to overemphasize individual, civil and political rights, such as freedom of expression, assembly and identity rights," said Macharia Kamau, Kenya's former permanent representative to the United Nations.

"Most African countries take a different approach to human rights, which emphasize collective well-being, social-economic development and the right to development ... I personally have always recognized the way China has embedded the noble idea of poverty eradication and human rights in its political and developmental framework."

Li Yunlong, a professor at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said by promoting human rights through development, China has chosen a new path. China believes that development is the key to solving all of China's problems, including the promotion of human rights, Li added.

Kamau said that a great rejuvenation of China in the past four decades is a beacon of hope for the suffering masses, yearning for prosperity and dignity, and we aspire to replicate the achievement China has made in order to enjoy the success and the promise of human rights and poverty eradication.

Zhang Yunfei, a board member of the UN Association of China, said that the Global Development Initiative, proposed by China at the general debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2021, dovetails with the UN's 2030 agenda and extends the philosophy for promoting human rights.

So far, more than 100 countries have expressed support for the GDI and over 70 countries have joined the Group of Friends at the UN. China has implemented over 100 projects under the initiative.