Nation lauded for contribution to human rights cause

BEIJING: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has earned global trust through its inclusivity, and China’s historic achievements in human rights offer a unique model for upholding the spirit of the document, officials and experts said at a seminar on Monday in Beijing.
Amid the 75th anniversary of the declaration, which falls on Dec 10, the China Society for Human Rights Studies held a seminar to commemorate the milestone document.
“Over the past 75 years, China has consistently been a contributor, advocate and practitioner of the declaration,” said Padma Choling, director of the society and former vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.
“Today, revisiting the spirit of the declaration is about clarifying the coordinates and direction of global human rights governance, better fostering world peace, and promoting shared development,” he said. The declaration is the world’s most translated document, rendered in over 500 languages, with continual updates.
Experts said the formulation of the declaration, which has involved the active participation of Western countries and developing countries, including those in Asia and Africa, can be viewed as an excellent example of exchanges and mutual learning.
Based on the Confucian concept of ren (benevolence), Zhang Pengchun (1892-1957), who served as vice-chairman of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, introduced the term liangxin (conscience) in the first article of the declaration. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item