Expounding on the Global Development Initiative in the context of China's view on human rights

The Global Development Initiative was proposed by President Xi Jinping in his important speech at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, and is based on six commitments: staying committed to development as a priority, staying committed to a people-centered approach, staying committed to benefits for all, staying committed to innovation-driven development, Staying committed to harmony between humanity and nature, staying committed to results-oriented actions. Viewed from the perspective of human rights, the Global Development Initiative is actually a new “Universal Declaration on Human Rights” issued to the whole world: It is an expression of the core human rights concept of putting people at the centre, which profoundly embodies people's right to survival and development, the new people-centred human rights concept of human civilization, the right to a good ecological environment, and other human rights to which people around the world aspire, as well as the basic principles of inclusive global human rights governance. The Global Development Initiative embodies China's global vision, and mind, firm commitment of China as a major country and Chinese’s view of the world, which unite its own human rights development with that of the world, and is of great practical and far-reaching significance and theoretical guidance in promoting the building of a community with a shared future for global development and the development of human rights in the world.

I. The right to survival and the right to development as the primary human rights of developing countries is at the heart of Global Development Initiatives

Due to the impact of the pandemic, the world's economic development has generally suffered a setback, the economic recovery of various countries has been slow, the economic growth of emerging economies has also tended to stagnate, the economies of developing countries have been hit even harder, the development gap between the North and the South has widened and even solidified, and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is facing serious challenges. Against this backdrop, the Global Development Initiative proposes to uphold the concept of prioritizing development and place development in a prominent position in the global macro-policy framework, which undoubtedly highlights the importance of the right to survival and development for all countries in the world, especially developing countries. In the face of global problems and challenges that are prone to complexity, “development as the master key to solving all problems”, “development as the key to achieving people's happiness”, grasping the key of “development” conducive to economic growth, seeking a way out through “development”, and using “development” as the solution to all challengies, serve as a sign and inspiration of China’s successful development experience. At the First General Meeting of the Second Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committe General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasised that “development remains the key to solving all our problems”. Only development can provide the material basis for the prosperity and strength of the country, the happiness and well-being of the people, and the harmony and stability of society. The historic achievements of China's reform and opening up, especially in the decade of the new era, are the result of the Party and the State always making development the first priority in ruling and governing the country. The Communist Party of China and the Chinese government are deeply aware that the people's right to survival and development is the number one priority among human rights, and the Chinese government put forward the right to survival and development in its White Paper on Human Rights as early as 1996. Since then, China has been building and safeguarding the people's right to survival and development as the primary human rights, promoting economic and social development, enhancing people's well-being and promoting social justice, and has set out a path of human rights development that suits China's national conditions. As the world's largest developing country, China's human rights philosophy and values are of great significance to human rights development of the majority of developing countries.

There are still 800 million people living in extreme poverty in the world today, and a series of problems caused by poverty and its derivatives, such as hunger, diseases and social conflicts, still plague many developing countries. Therefore, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the fundamental solution to global poverty and its various global challenges lies in development. “Confronted by such a multiplicity of challenges and difficulties, we must hold fast to development as our master key, for only through development can we resolve the root cause of conflicts, safeguard the basic rights of the people, and meet the ardent hopes of people for a better future.” The Global development Initiative puts “upholding development first” as its primary goal, which reflects the profound human rights philosophy for developing countries, that is, the right to survival and development is their primary human rights.

Developing countries are often those that are economically underdeveloped and where the majority of the population is still poor. The main problem facing these developing countries is to eradicate poverty, promote economic development and accumulate wealth, therefore, how to get rid of poverty, accelerate economic development and improve people's livelihood is the basic right of people in developing countries to pursue a happy life and their universal concern for human rights. How valuable is the freedom of expression to people on the verge of starvation? The right to survival is the greatest human right, and this cry is precisely the cry of people struggling to survive hunger. The right to survival and development void of hunger and poverty is therefore the most important human need, a constructive human rights issue, embodying the primary human rights implication for the people of developing countries. Indeed, the intrinsic link between human rights and economic and social development is already expressed in the 1945 UN Charter, which states that all peoples have the right to freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development, based on the indispensable value of a high standard of living, an environment of economic and social progress and the development of the State. Declaration on Social Progress and Development, adopted by the United Nations in 1969, introduced the philosophy of the right to development, which in the early 1920s constructed the specific right to development as a human right. The Declaration on the Right to Development, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1986, explicitly declared that “the right to development is an inalienable human right”, by virtue of which every human person and all peoples are entitled to participate in, contribute to, and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development, in which all human rights and fundamental freedoms can be fully realized. The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights in 1993, reaffirmed the right to development as “a universal and inalienable human right and an integral part of fundamental human rights”. It is evident that the right to survival and the right to development are the primary human rights for the majority of developing countries, and only by giving priority to guaranteeing their right to survival and development can we promote the balanced, coordinated and comprehensive development and realization of political and cultural rights. As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “Development bears on the hopes and the very survival of the peoples of all countries. It embodies the expression of their dignity and their rights.”

II. The Global Development Initiative embodies a people-centred view of human rights as a new form of human civilization

The Global Development Initiative adheres to the people-centred human rights philosophy advocates safeguarding and improving people's livelihoods in development, protects and promotes human rights, where development should serve the people, depend on the people, with its benefits shared by the people, continuously enhances people's sense of fulfillment, happiness and safety, and achieves comprehensive human development. This people-centred view of human rights is human rights philosophy as a new form of human civilization that transcends the Western individual-centred liberal view of human rights. The individual-centred liberal view of human rights over-emphasizes the rights of individual citizens and political rights, while ignoring or denying the people's right to survival and development, which consists of economic, social and cultural rights, and has led to questions and criticisms from more and more countries and scholars, because this view of human rights has cut off the universality, indivisibility and interdependence of human rights. The people-centred view of human rights, however, not only attaches importance to the guarantee of civil and political rights, but also places greater emphasis on the common struggle to achieve a human society in which people fully enjoy their human rights, so that they can lead a happy life, which is the greatest human right for the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that “pursuing the people-centred concept of human rights, taking the right to survival and development as the primary human rights, coordinating the promotion of the economic, political, social, cultural and environmental rights of all people, striving to safeguard social justice and promoting all-round human development”. Therefore, this people-centred view of human rights, with the right to survival and the right to development as the primary human rights, the coordination of the economic, political, social, cultural and environmental rights of the people as the means, and the promotion of all-round human development as the aim, is a transcendence and development of the Western individual-centred liberal view of human rights. It overcomes the drawbacks and serious inherent shortcomings of the liberal-centric view of human rights, which advocates the incommensurability of the right to freedom and social rights such as survival and development, and emphasizes the interdependence, coordination and indivisibility of human rights, and the fact that human dignity cannot be ensured and realized by guaranteeing certain rights alone, but must be ensured and realized in a process of interaction in which all human rights - economic, political, social, cultural and environmental - are expressed in a way that mutually supports the realization of other rights. Marx was critical of the liberal view of human rights, arguing that human rights were only “pie in the sky” for the proletariat, which lacked the material basis for their realization. According to the Marxist view, only by solving the problem of production of the means of living, such as food, clothing and shelter, can we talk about the superstructure of art, politics and law. A people-centred view of human rights means always putting people's rights first, always placing people's interests in the highest position, making people's aspirations for a better life the goal of their struggle, constantly raising the level of respect for and protection of people's various basic rights, and constantly promoting and protecting human rights. China has successfully solved the problem of feeding and clothing 1.4 billion people, lifted more than 700 million people out of poverty, won the largest battle against poverty in human history, historically solved the problem of absolute poverty, and made a significant contribution to the cause of human rights in the world.

China's experience in human rights development has clarified a simple truth for people around the world, namely that only by adhering to a people-centred view of human rights can we truly benefit the people. Only when development is aimed at the people does it have value; only when the power of development relies on the people does it have inexhaustible momentum. People's aspirations for a better education, more stable jobs, more satisfactory income, more reliable social security, better medical and health services, more comfortable housing conditions, a better environment, and hope that their children can grow up better, work better and lead a better life. This vision of the people's aspiration for a better life is not only the common aspiration of the Chinese people, but also the universal aspiration of people around the world, especially those in developing countries. People share the same aspiration and philosophy. As long as any political party or government adheres to the people-centred human rights philosophy, it will be able to acquire the recognition and support of its people as broadest as possible, thus gaining legitimacy and justification in governance.

III. The right to a good ecological environment in which people and nature live together in harmony is a prerequisite for a good human life

The Global Development Initiative proposes to uphold the harmonious coexistence of human beings and nature, improve global environmental governance, actively respond to climate change, and foster a community of life for humanity and Nature. This initiative embodies the human rights philosophy and view of human rights to a sound ecological environment. The right to a good ecological environment refers to the right of all people to live in a healthy and comfortable environment with blue sky, clear water and clean soil suitable for human survival and development, which is a general term for the right to a beautiful environment such as the right to clean air, clean water, clean land, safe food and livability.

First of all, insisting on the harmonious coexistence between human beings and nature is an inevitable requirement of the right to a good ecological environment. Nature is the basic condition for human beings to survive and develop, and human beings' enjoyment of the right to a good ecological environment must follow the principle and philosophy of harmonious coexistence between human beings and nature. Human beings are born from nature, and humanity and nature are a symbiotic relationship. Therefore, mankind must move from changing and conquering nature to adjusting human behaviours and correcting human misbehaviours, establishing the philosophy of ecological civilization that respects, responds to and protects nature, with a view to achieving harmony between humanity and nature. Only by following the ecological civilization philosophy of harmony between humanity and nature, can mankind conform to nature and be protected from it. General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly pointed out in the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China that “The Chinese path to modernization is a process of modernization of harmony between humanity and nature” and that “Humanity and nature make up a community of life. If we extract from nature without limit or inflict damage on it, we are bound to face its retaliation.”

Therefore, only by adhering to the human rights philosophy of the harmony between humanity and nature, and planning development from the height of the harmony between humanity and nature, is the righteous path for the development of all countries on earth.

Secondly, with regard to improving global environmental governance, in September 2015, General Secretary Xi Jinping, in his speech at the general debate of the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA, put forward China's ideas and plans for global environmental governance to governments and people around the world, which is to establish an ecological system that respects nature and advocates green development; human beings are ultimately a part of nature and must take care of nature and shall not override it. We should aim to live in harmony with nature, firmly establish the awareness of respecting, adapting to and protecting nature, and adhere to the path of green, low-carbon, circular and sustainable development. Only by following the path of green, low-carbon and recycled development, can we achieve a civilized development path that is productive, affluent and ecologically sound, and can countries across the world attain sustainable development with bright future ahead.

Finally, actively addressing climate change is an important guarantee for human beings to enjoy and realize their right to a sound ecological environment. Climate change is a matter of survival and development for all mankind, the well-being of all peoples and the future of mankind.

Climate change is a global challenge facing all countries in the world, from which no country can remain immune. Therefore, it is the common responsibility and obligation of governments and people around the world to actively address climate change. To this end, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has established the important principles of common but differentiated responsibilities, assessment and respective capabilities, and has proposed a fair, reasonable and effective global response to climate change. As a responsible developing country, China is an active participant, advocate and contributor to global climate governance, and has made a solemn commitment to the world to achieve the “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” goals, namely to strive to achieve carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. We are committed to the implementation of the new development philosophy with utmost efforts and abilities, and to building a new form of ecological civilization by making resource conservation and environmental protection our basic national policy, and by promoting the achievement of the “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” goals in a comprehensive manner.

IV. Inclusiveness is a fundamental principle of global human rights governance

The Global Development Initiative proposes to uphold inclusiveness, which is the basic principle of global governance proposed by China, and that of global human rights governance. Global human rights governance refers to the philosophy, principles and values of governance that should be adopted based on the country-specific nature, differences and unevenness of human rights in all countries of the world.

For a long time, some Western developed countries have adopted a “double standards” approach to human rights, often using their own human rights standards as the benchmark for other countries in the world, imposing the will of one country on others, and not respecting the country-specific nature, diversity and differences of human rights, thus causing global human rights governance to be caught in ideological contradictions and conflicts. The principle of global human rights governance proposed by China is inclusiveness, which means that the development of all countries should be based on the principle of mutual and shared benefits and win-win results in their development, and that all countries and peoples should cooperate and enjoy the fruits of development together, leaving no one or country behind, and rejecting the unilateralist and hegemonic logic of human rights governance, in which the weak are prey to the strong and the winner takes all. Inclusion means that human rights governance should respect and tolerate the right of all peoples to choose their own path of human rights development according to their own realities. Human rights are certainly a common pursuit of mankind, but as General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “There is no one-size-fits-all human rights development path, no one can claim perfection and there is always room for improvement.” Therefore, the principle of global human rights governance must adhere to the principle of universality and inclusiveness, allowing all peoples to combine the universality of human rights with the specificity of each country and follow the path of human rights development that suits their national conditions. “There are different pathways toward wellbeing. People of all countries are entitled to choose their own development paths and institutional models. This, in itself, is what wellbeing entails.” In short, the principle of inclusive global human rights governance emphasizes the concepts of solidarity and cooperation, mutual benefit and win-win results, mutual respect, equality and justice, which embody the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom for all mankind. Only by adhering to the philosophy of inclusiveness and universality can global human rights governance prosper.

V. Building a global development community of destiny is the central purpose of global human rights development

The Communist Party of China is a party that seeks the happiness of the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, as well as the progress of mankind and the commonwealth of the world. The Global Development Initiative is a global vision and a broadminded view of the world, a profound insight into the pulse of the times of human development, a positive response to the development issues of universal concern to the people of all countries, especially those of developing countries, a concern for the future and destiny of human development, and a Chinese proposal and Chinese wisdom to build a global community of development with a shared future in response to common development problems faced by mankind.

Building a global community of development with a shared future is an integral part of building a community with a shared future for mankind. It is proposed at a time when the global development faces various crises plaguing the international community, such as the slow economic recovery and the serious obstruction of the multilateral trade liberalization process led by the World Trade Organization, and it is imperative to accelerate the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by all countries. The global community is a community with a shared future in which everyone is closely linked with others. In the face of the various problems and challenges that have arisen in global economic development, no country can stand alone. Instead, countries should work together to pursue their own interests, accommodate the interests of other countries, and advance the common interests of the people and build a better planet together. The eight key areas of cooperation proposed by the Global Development Initiative, such as poverty reduction, food security, epidemic prevention and vaccination, financing for development, climate change and green development, industrialisation, digital economy and connectivity, are all core issues and key issues of global development, as well as human rights issues such as the right to survival, the right to development and the right to a sound ecological environment for all peoples. Therefore, building a community with a shared future for global development is the most important component of building a community with a shared future for mankind. Only by solving global development issues and achieving stronger, greener and healthier global development and building a community with a shared future for global development can we achieve the happiness of all peoples and satisfy their aspirations and pursuits for a better life, and thus build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful community with a shared future for mankind that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity. Therefore, building a community with a shared future for global development is the core purpose of global human rights development.

（The author is doctor of law and distinguished professor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, doctoral supervisor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University Law School.）