Special article: Paving the path for common development of human rights for all mankind – ten years of jointly building the “Belt and Road” to contribute Chinese wisdom and strength to the global human rights cause

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, December 8th Special Article: Paving the human rights path for the common development of all mankind – ten years of jointly building the “Belt and Road” has contributed Chinese wisdom and strength to the global human rights cause

Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Yuan He Mengshu Zhang Man

The Belt and Road Initiative is a road to peace, prosperity, openness, innovation, and civilization, as well as a human rights road to the common development of all mankind.

The China Human Rights Development Foundation and Xinhua News Agency, a national high-end think tank, jointly released the think tank report “For a Better World—Ten Years of Joint Construction of the Belt and Road Initiative from a Human Rights Perspective” on the 7th. The report pointed out that in the past ten years, the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” has transformed from a vision into a reality, improving the development effectiveness of various countries, bringing benefits to people’s livelihood, helping many jointly built countries get out of difficulties, and promoting people to better realize their rights to survival and development. , laying a solid foundation for the development of global human rights protection.

Experts and scholars from various countries believe that the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” is continuing to contribute to the progress of global human rights and also brings profound enlightenment to global human rights governance.

Make life more dignified—protect and promote people’s right to survival

Human’s right to survival is the basis for enjoying all human rights. Ensuring that the people have adequate food and clothing, a livelihood and good health is still the most urgent and realistic task for many countries.

The think tank report pointed out that in the past ten years, a series of jointly built “Belt and Road” projects have effectively improved the basic living and medical and health conditions of the people in the jointly built countries, increased employment, increased income levels, and better protected the people’s right to survival. Looking around the world, there are countless examples of such projects.

In Gihanga County, Bubanza Province, Burundi, rice fields are criss-crossed. Rice farmer Charles Ngendakumana can’t hide his joy as he watches the waves of rice rolling. Since 2018, the Chinese agricultural expert group has designated Ngendakumana’s village as a demonstration village for rice poverty alleviation. Ngendakumana learned hybrid rice planting technology from Chinese agricultural experts and soon no longer had enough to eat. They had enough food and clothing and built a new house.

The village of Teneful in the Gourbele district of Senegal is far away from the city, hot and desolate. In the past, the water supply facilities in the village were old and dilapidated. Villagers had to walk 1.5 kilometers to fetch water from wells in neighboring villages. Queuing times sometimes lasted from early morning to midnight. As a result, many young people in the village were unable to go to school. A few years ago, the rural well-drilling project in Senegal, financed by China, began. The village of Tenefule has its own water well, and the villagers can use clean water every day. This rural well-drilling project solves the water problem of one-seventh of Senegal’s population.

In Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, the China-aided African Center for Disease Control and Prevention Headquarters (Phase I) project of the African Union was completed in January this year. This is the first African CDC on the African continent with modern office and experimental conditions and complete facilities. Local resident Wakjila Totofa said: “My relatives and friends were very excited when they heard that the project was completed. It will improve our medical conditions. Malaria once claimed the lives of my relatives, so I have been obsessed with diseases since I was a child. of fear.”

On January 11, 2023, the completion ceremony of the China-Aid African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Headquarters (Phase I) project was held in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Dong Jianghui

Over the past ten years, from improving infrastructure construction to “small but beautiful” livelihood projects, from creating jobs and providing training opportunities to carrying out medical assistance projects, the “One Belt, One Road” initiative has effectively improved the joint construction of the country through one solid and heavy result. people’s survival and living conditions.

According to Amadou Diop, a Senegalese expert on China issues, the living conditions, health levels and cultural development in many regions in Africa and even the world have been greatly improved due to the “Belt and Road” project. This is a sign of the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” to improve the human rights situation. Visible diverse practices.

Improve the quality of life – promote the realization of people’s right to development

Prosper all industries and harmonize people’s hearts. The right to development is a necessary condition for the realization of all human rights. Many countries around the world hope to eliminate the root causes of conflicts through development, protect people’s basic rights through development, and satisfy their people’s eager yearning for a better life through development.

The think tank report pointed out that through the construction of various production and living infrastructure, the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” will not only promote the economic and social development of the jointly built countries and help meet the basic living needs of local residents, but also advocate the development of cooperation in a wider range of fields and encourage enterprises to actively fulfill their obligations. Social responsibility: help local people improve their living conditions and better realize their rights to education, culture, environment and other development rights.

“Friends, please listen to me. The story of the railway is long and long. It condenses friendship and brings hope. My hometown is becoming more beautiful day by day; my compatriots are more high-spirited day by day…” This song from Kenya “Song of Mombasa-Nairobi – The Railway Has Reached My Hometown” sung by singer Sudi tells the story of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, the flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative jointly built by China and Kenya. Previously, the long-distance bus journey between Mombasa and Nairobi took more than 10 hours, but now the direct railway train only takes more than 4 hours. In the more than six years since its opening, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway project has accelerated and upgraded regional transportation, effectively driving the economic development of cities along the way.

At the invitation of the Kenya Railways Authority, envoys from Russia, South Africa, Iran, Saudi Arabia and other countries in Kenya visited the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway Dispatching Center on October 6 and took a train from the capital Nairobi to the Kenyan port city of Mombasa. This is the day when diplomatic envoys from many countries stationed in Kenya watched an artistic performance at the Nairobi Station of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Guansen

Astana, Kazakhstan, is known as the “Cold City” and “Wind City” by local residents. Every winter, the cold wind is biting. The local salinized land makes planting windbreaks difficult. The Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has cooperated with institutions such as Sefulin University of Agricultural Technology in Kazakhstan. Experts from the two countries have taken root in forest fields, introduced highly resistant sapling varieties that can adapt to the local environment, and transformed the terrain to facilitate the growth of forests, helping to build Kazakhstan’s The ecological protection barrier in the capital circle has reduced the impact of windy weather in the grassland on residents’ lives.

In the bushes on the outskirts of Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, the Butuka Academy funded and built by China has brought a new scene to the place. The campus has tennis courts, basketball courts, a gymnasium and theater and a standard-sized building. rugby field. Some of the original classrooms in this academy have collapsed due to disrepair, and there is a serious shortage of desks and chairs. Many students can only sit on the floor to listen to classes. The expanded academy covers kindergarten, primary school, middle school, etc., with more than 50 classes, which solves the difficulty of attending school for more than 3,000 primary and secondary school students.

On June 3, 2022, students displayed paper dragon boat models at Butuka Academy in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Bai Xuefei

Promote regional connectivity, protect the ecological environment, improve education levels, support public cultural construction, and pay attention to the rights and interests of women and children… More and more cities and regions around the world are taking on a new look and glowing due to the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” project. vitality.

Charles Onunaiju, director of the Nigeria Center for China Studies, said that the Chinese often say, “If you want to get rich, build a road first.” The joint construction of the “Belt and Road” has promoted connectivity among countries, ethnic groups and even tribes, and promoted social interaction and Cultural connections can help eliminate potential conflicts and achieve joint development.

According to Xie Monile, president of the Cambodia-China Relations Development Society, China has found the code for development and is not shy about sharing its development ideas with the world. The joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative has brought cooperation projects to various countries and significantly improved the lives of local people.

Let everyone fully enjoy human rights – bringing enlightenment to global human rights governance

Full enjoyment of human rights by everyone is the great dream of human society. Promoting and protecting human rights is a cause for all mankind and requires the joint efforts of everyone.

At present, problems such as hunger, poverty, war, and environmental pollution still exist. The problems of unbalanced, uncoordinated, and unsustainable development are still prominent. The development of the world’s human rights cause and global human rights governance are facing severe challenges. The report pointed out that the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative complies with the urgent expectations of developing countries to promote human rights through cooperative development, assists the economic and social development and human rights progress of the jointly built countries, and provides new thinking, new impetus, and new ideas for global human rights governance. opportunity.

——The joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative has always been people-oriented, so that the results of joint construction can better benefit the people of all countries.

People’s happy life is the greatest human right, and global human rights governance should adhere to the people-centered approach. The joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative adheres to the people-centered development philosophy and focuses on eradicating poverty, increasing employment, and improving people’s livelihood.

“From the perspective of global human rights governance, the joint construction of the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative has played multiple roles.” Muhammad Asif Noor, director of the Institute of Peace and Diplomacy in Islamabad, Pakistan, pointed out that this initiative helps jointly build countries to eliminate poverty, Improve people’s living conditions and provide financial support for education so that people have better job prospects. This initiative also strives to protect the ecological environment, which is crucial to enhance the well-being of current and future generations.

On November 2, in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, Senegalese Minister of Health and Social Action Ndiaye took a group photo with members of the Chinese medical team after the ceremony. On the same day, the Senegalese government awarded medals and certificates of honor to all members of the 19th Chinese medical team in recognition of their outstanding contributions to Senegal’s medical and health undertakings.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Zizheng

——The joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative focuses on cooperative development and effectively activates the economic development potential of the jointly built countries.

Today, when the development of various countries is deeply integrated, win-win cooperation is the best solution to solve development difficulties and remove development obstacles. The joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative advocates peaceful cooperation, mutual benefit and win-win results, and builds an inclusive, pragmatic and extensive international cooperation platform, which can maximize the economic development potential of the jointly built countries.

“In China’s human rights concept, human rights protection is closely related to development.” Peter Kenny, chairman of the Swiss Foreign Correspondents Association, paid special attention to the improvement of infrastructure in African countries under the cooperation of jointly building the “Belt and Road”. He said that infrastructure construction is the key to development, and the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative has enabled African countries to achieve connectivity.

——The joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative advocates openness and inclusiveness, and different countries seek common ground while reserving differences and seek common development.

Different countries have different national conditions. We should adhere to the principle of universality of human rights and integrate it with the actual situation of each country. We should maintain the diversity of civilizations in a spirit of equality and openness and jointly promote the development and progress of human rights. The joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative adheres to mutual respect and equal treatment, advocates civilization and tolerance, and respects the development paths and models independently chosen by each country.

“The direction of world development should not be determined only by a few countries, but should be determined by all countries in the world.” said Horvath Levant (Chinese name Levent), director of the Eurasian Center at John von Neumann University in Hungary, The Belt and Road Initiative and related measures proposed by China express its expectations for mutual respect, equal treatment, common development, and win-win cooperation among different countries and civilizations in the world.

On July 3, acupuncture doctors from the Chinese medical team assisting the Solomon Islands treated patients at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands. Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo provided by China’s medical team assisting the Solomon Islands)

——The joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative advocates fairness and justice and promotes the establishment of a more fair and just order and norms.

Countries vary in size, national strength, and development speed, but they are all equal members of the international community. The joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative does not attach special requirements to the political and economic systems of the co-building countries. All co-building countries are equal participants, contributors, and beneficiaries. It advocates adhering to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and strives to promote the construction of a more fair and just order and norms.

“Different from the logic of ‘a strong country must seek hegemony’, China develops and grows in order to share development opportunities with the world.” According to Amado Serud, Speaker of the Central American Parliament, while China is achieving its own development, it has put forward a series of Initiatives and programs that share development opportunities with other countries, without any strings attached. China is an important force helping the world move forward stably.

The first decade of jointly building the “Belt and Road” is a decade for China and other countries to develop together under a new paradigm of international cooperation, and it is also a decade for protecting human rights in common development. Only by equality, mutual benefit, win-win cooperation and common development among all countries can prosperity be lasting and the great dream of everyone fully enjoying human rights realized.

Building a community with a shared future for mankind is the future of people all over the world. In the next decade of jointly building the “Belt and Road”, China will continue to provide new opportunities for the world with its own new development and add new momentum to promote the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind. As a result, the Chinese people and the people of other countries will enjoy broader, more adequate, and more comprehensive rights and achieve all-round development at a higher level.

Editor: Wu Jiahong