China will draft action plan on human rights

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-11-5  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

CHINA planned to draft its first national action plan to protect human rights, said the State Council Information Office yesterday.

The action plan would cover aspects such as improving government function, expanding democracy, strengthening the rule of law, improving people's livelihood, protecting rights of women, children and ethnic minorities and boosting public awareness of human rights, said a statement.

The action plan will be drafted by a panel from the office and the Foreign Ministry, joined by more than 50 departments, public associations and non-governmental organizations, including the country's legislature, top political advisory body, supreme court, supreme procuratorate and the National Development and Reform Commission.

At least 10 human rights experts from key universities and academic institutions would form a group to advise the panel, the statement said.

Once the plan was complete, it would guide China in the development of human rights, it added.

"As the first of its kind, the plan will have an important effect on the country's human rights development in the future," said Dong Yunhu, vice president and secretary general of the China Society for Human Rights Studies.

"As this year marks the 30th anniversary of China's reform and opening up, the release of the plan bears great significance," he said.

The Chinese government issued the first white paper describing the country's human rights situation in 1991, officially adopting the concept of "human rights" in its political strategy.

Since then, the country has issued 40 documents on human rights protection but never a state action plan on what it is going to do in this field.

"Those white papers revealed the past and the present situation. But through this plan, we look to the future," Dong said.