Constructive dialogue, cooperation key to human rights protection: Chinese ambassador

GENEVA -- China's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) Office in Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland has stressed the need to promote and protect human rights through constructive dialogue and cooperation.

During the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Chen Xu denounced the politicization and instrumentalization of human rights issues in a joint statement delivered Wednesday on behalf of the Group of Friends on the Promotion of Human Rights through Dialogues and Cooperation.

The joint statement pointed out that the politicized and polarized atmosphere is exacerbating at the Human Rights Council, which runs counter to its original intention and violates the principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity, non-politicization and non-selectivity.

The establishment of country specific mechanisms against the will of the countries concerned and the proliferation of parallel mechanisms cause a huge waste of financial and human resources without yielding tangible outcomes and are therefore not conducive to promoting or protecting human rights, the statement said.

The joint statement also reiterated three propositions regarding the work of the Human Rights Council.

-- to uphold fairness and justice, adhere to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, oppose interference in the internal affairs of member states using human rights as an excuse and call for an immediate cessation of unilateral coercive measures.

-- to uphold openness and inclusiveness, play a constructive role in facilitating dialogue and cooperation on an equal and mutually respectful basis, expand consensus through dialogue and exchanges, and work together to protect and promote human rights through peace, security, common development, dialogues and collaboration.

-- to uphold objectivity and impartiality, conduct its work on accurate and objective information, respect the sovereignty and political independence of all countries, respect the human rights development paths chosen by each country based on their domestic situation, and provide technical assistance and capacity building according to the countries' needs and wishes.

The joint statement was widely supported and applauded by the developing countries.