The Contribution of Global Development Initiatives to Global Human Rights Governance

I. Global development and human rights are facing enormous challenges

At present, the century of change and pandemic are overlapping and resonating. Hegemonism, racism, protectionism and narrow nationalism are on the rise. World economic recovery has been thwarted. The development gap between the North and the South has widened. The momentum of development cooperation is weakening. The Human Development Index is declining for the first time in 30 years. The economies, societies and livelihoods of countries, especiallly developing countries, are being severely impacted. With 1.2 billion people in nearly 70 countries facing the pandemic, food, energy and debtcrises, and 800 million people suffering from hunger, the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development faces unprecedented challenges. At the same time, some countries are resorting to “small yard, high fence” and extreme sanctions, creating artificial divisions and confrontations, politicizing and marginalizing development issues. The existing global consensus on development is facing bankruptcy, the global action on development is weak and the international development cause is at a crossroads. In developed countries, vulnerable groups are facing more difficulties, and the gap between the rich and the poor, racial discrimination and inequality have further worsened. The development of the international human rights cause is faced with both traditional and new threats, and it is still a long way to goto realize the enjoyment of human rights for all.

II. Development is the basis for the enjoyment of human rights

Development and human rights are both pillars of the work of the United Nations, each with its own independent process, while at the same time being interdependent and mutually reinforcing. Development is the master key to all issues, including human rights, and the basis for the enjoyment of other human rights. Only development can eliminate the root causes of conflict. Only through development can people's basic rights be guaranteed. Only development can satisfy people's yearning for a better life.

The right to development is an inalienable human right recognized in the UN Declaration on the Right to Development, and the realization of development is regarded as a basic human right in the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. For developing countries, which account for four fifths of the UN member states and 80 percent of the global population, the rights to survival and development are the most pressing human rights.

As the largest developing country, China has always attached great importance to development. Focusing on the key point of development, taking development as the way out and taking development as the prescription, stems from the successful experience of China's own development in the new era. By completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, China has historically solved the problem of absolute poverty, achieved the goal of the sustainable development agenda on poverty reduction 10 years ahead of schedule, and created two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability. These historic achievements are inseparable from the importance and focus of the Chinese government on development. They belong not only to China but also to the rest of the world. They provide a useful example for promoting global human rights governance.

While accelerating its owndevelopment, China is striving to share development opportunities with other countries and promote common development and prosperity of the world. In the face of global development imbalance, especially the worrying situation of developing countries, President Xi Jinping has made a series of important conclusions on development on many important international occasions, stressing that “Only when people all over the world live better lives can prosperity be sustained, security safeguarded and human rights solidly grounded”,demonstrating the spirit of "the world is for the common good" and "a major country takes responsibility".

III.The Global development Initiative has injected impetus into global human rights governance

In September 2021, when attending the General debate of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, President Xi Jinping solemnly put forward the Global Development Initiative, stays committed to development as a priority and a people-centered approach, benefits for all, innovation-driven development, harmony between man and nature, and results-oriented actions, calling for accelerated implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the building of a global development community of destiny.

The Global development Initiative is a development concept that concerns the well-being of people all over the world. It ensures that people all over the world enjoy fair opportunities, fair rules and fair rights in the process of development, and jointly creates the wealth ofhuman society and shares the fruits of development. It contains a rich human rights philosophy, injects new impetus into global human rights governance, and is another important public good that China provides for global governance. It is also China's newcontribution to the cause of international human rights.

I) Giving priority to development. The initiative aims to bring development back to the core of the international agenda, revitalize global cooperation in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and promote the realization of the right to development at the global level. The Initiative addresses the most pressing issues in the field of development, including poverty reduction, food security, epidemic prevention and vaccines, financingfor development, climate change and green development, industrialization, digital economy and connectivity. It fully aligns the 17 goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, meets the concerns and needs of developing countries, and helps promote and protect their rights to survival and development.

II) Upholding people-centered principles. It proposes to uphold that people's well-being is the greatest human right, takes the improvement of people's well-being and the realization of their all-round development as the starting point and ultimate goal, and takes the aspirations of people of all countries for a better life as the goal of our efforts. It emphasizes improving and safeguarding people's well-being through development, protecting and promoting human rights, and ensuring that development is for the people, by the people, and the fruits of development are shared by the people. We will continue to enhance the people's sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security, and realize all-round human development. The people-centered core concept of the Initiative fully reflects China's commitment to promoting and protecting human rights, and is an important contribution China has made to human civilization. 

III) Promoting common development. The initiative ischaracterized by openness and inclusiveness. While synergizing key areas, it seeks to align the needs of various countries, partners from various sectors, and various international and regional cooperation mechanisms. The Initiative is action-oriented, emphasizing common and sustainable growth, and promoting a new stage of balanced, coordinated and inclusive global development, so that the fruits of world economic growth can be shared more equitably among countries around the world. It proposes a “road map” to narrow the North-South divide and address development imbalances, and injects strong impetus into the efforts of all countries, developing countries in particular, to accelerate development and achieve common prosperity. The Initiative is highly in line with the ardent hopes of people around the world for peace, development and cooperation. It presents the world with a new perspective, new thinking and new model for the common development and prosperity of all countries and injects new impetus into the realization of human rights for all.

IV) Advocating true multilateralism. The initiatie abides by the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, shines the light of true multilateralism, and firmly upholds the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order based on international law, and the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. It supports the UN in playing a coordinating role in global development cooperation. We should encourage the international community to shift from a mindset of“confrontation” to “development”,from “competition” to “cooperation”, and from “isolation” to “win-win”, promote democracy in international relationsand the development of global human rights governance in a fairer, more equitable, more reasonable and more inclusive direction.

IV.Implement the Global Development Initiative and promote the sound development of global human rights governance

The Global Development Initiative has provided direction and guidance for the global development, which is at a crossroads. Over the past year or so, the initiative has taken root and many people have responded. The United Nations and most of its member states, especially the developing countries, have shown great interest in this initiative, believing that it has boosted confidence in global development, provided a new way of thinking and advancing modernization, which will bring together strong synergy to achievethe 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and new hope for developing countries to achieve leapfrog development. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke highly of the Global Development Initiative, calling it important and positive for promoting equal, balanced and sustainable development in the world. He expressed the UN's full support for the initiative and willingness to strengthen cooperation in this regard.

The international community should work together to advance the global development initiative, deliver tangible benefits to people of all countries, ensure that all people enjoy extensive, full, concrete and effective human rights in accordance with the law, build a community with a shared future for mankind, and continue to make new contributions to the global human rights cause.

I) Promoting human rights through development. Implementing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is the biggest consensus for global development and the only way to overcome the current development deficit. The international community should work together to continue to prioritize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development on the international Development cooperation agenda, advance the realization of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in a balanced manner, oppose politicizing and marginalizing development issues, and focus on key areas of concern to developing countries. We should safeguard and promote human rights in the course of development and realize the free and comprehensive development of human beings.

II) Promoting development through cooperation. The international community should integrate various international and regional development cooperation mechanisms, build maximum synergy for development, promote inclusive and universal development, and address unbalanced and inadequate development among and within countries. Developed countries should honor their commitments and increase support for developing countries. Developing countries should step up South-South cooperation, strive to leave no country behind, let no one be left behind, and let no appeal be ignored. We should work together to build a global development community and advance the cause of global of human rights.

III) Promoting harmony through dialogue. Human civilization is rich and colorful, , and so are the paths of human rights development in various countries. There is no superiority or inferiority of human rights paths, only differences in characteristics. On human rights, countries should uphold the principles of universality, fairness, objectivity, non-selectivity and non-politicization, strengthen constructive dialogue, international solidarity and cooperation, avoid politicizing, instrumenting and weaponizing human rights issues, strengthen technical assistance and capacity building, and strive to build a more just and inclusive global human rights governance mechanism.

IV) Promoting all human rights in a balanced manner. The connotation of human rights is comprehensive and rich. We should protect not only the political rights of citizens, butalso the ESC rights and the right to development,including both individual and collective rights. The international community should advance ESC rights and civil and political rights in a balanced manner, pay attention to the aspirations of developing countries, and reach consensus on the right to development as soon as possible. Multilateral human rights mechanisms should attach greater importance to ESC rights and the right to development, coordinate and enhance the ESC and environmental rights of all people, promote all-round human development, enhance people's sense of fulfillment, happiness and security, and jointly promote the healthy development of the international human rights cause.

(The author is director of the United Nations Association of China)