The fourth round of Universal Periodic Review is conducted by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, on Jan. 23, 2024. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

By WANG Xiaoxia

China has achieved progress in protecting and improving human rights through its development, and made positive contributions to global human rights governance, according to experts from the China Society for Human Rights Studies and global representatives attending the United Nations Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva.

From January 22 to February 2, the UPR Working Group is examining the human rights records of 14 states, including China. It is the fourth time for China to be reviewd. The first, second and third UPR reviews took place in February 2009, October 2013 and November 2018 respectively.

At the UPR meeting on January 23, more than 120 countries spoke positively of China's progress in protecting and improving human rights and fully recognized China's efforts.

They said China has successfully charted a path of human rights development, which suits its national conditions and conforms to the aspirations of the people. It provides a new choice for other countries, especially developing countries, to independently explore the path of human rights development.

China attaches great importance to ensuring and improving people's livelihood in the course of development, constantly promotes economic and social development, and enhances people's well-being. It realizes all-round human development, ensures that the fruits of development are shared by the people, and strives to promote comprehensive and coordinated development of economic, social and cultural rights and civil and political rights, according to the panelists at a side event in Geneva on January 23.

China has not only made remarkable achievements in the protection of its own economic, social and cultural rights, but also provided strong support to other developing countries through international cooperation and capacity building, said Greisy Cordero Suarez, third secretary of Cuba's Permanent Mission to the UN, Geneva, at another side event on January 22.

Suarez hailed China's work with other countries in addressing poverty, food security, malnutrition, foreign debt and climate change as a true example of promoting the protection of economic, social and cultural rights and South-South cooperation.

China has put forward the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative to promote global development, safeguard world peace and promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, providing China's proposals and making China's contribution to strengthening global human rights governance.