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Statement by Ms. Li Xiaomei of the Chinese Delegation at the Third Committee of the 68th Session of the GA under Item 69 a, d: Implementation of Human Rights Instruments

2013-10-23 05:52
 

Mr. Chairman,

China has taken note of the reports submitted by the Secretary General under this item. Human rights instruments are important achievements of the international endeavor in the field of human rights, and their worldwide implementation has benefited from the efforts of human rights treaty bodies. As time goes on, treaty bodies are increasingly beset with problems such as overloading reporting obligations for states parties and overstepping by some treaty bodies of their mandates. Therefore, the Chinese government supports the necessary reform of the treaty body system.

The General Assembly has already conducted several rounds of negotiations on such reform. China welcomes the GA resolution adopted recently on the extension of the intergovernmental process on the strengthening and enhancing the effective function of treaty body system, and appreciates the efforts of the co-facilitators, Amb. Gréta Gunnarsdóttir of Iceland, and Amb. Desra Percaya of Indonesia in this regard. We believe that all parties should continue to engage in in-depth discussions, and strive to formulate, on the basis of building up consensus, a comprehensive and sustainable outcome document which is truly helpful to the reform of the treaty bodies. The reform should focus on facilitating constructive dialogue between treaty bodies and states parties, with a view to ensuring the objectivity and impartiality of the work of the treaty bodies, and avoiding politicization and selectivity. China will remain actively engaged in the negotiations and contribute to the healthy development of human rights treaty bodies.

Mr. Chairman,

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, which provides an opportunity for the international community to work harder on the implementation of human rights instruments as well as promotion and protection of human rights. As landmark international human rights instrument, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action has embodied the international consensus on human rights in the post-Cold War era, thus remains the main basis of the international human rights cause. The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action stressed the universality of human right, the necessity to consider the national conditions of member states, and interdependence of all human rights. Furthermore, it reiterated the right to development as an inalienable human rights. However, impeded by obstacles like the financial crisis, climate change and regional conflicts, developing countries still face a long and arduous journey in realizing the right to development. China calls on all parties to keep up the effort to implement all the provisions of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action so as to push forward the international human rights cause.

Mr. Chairman,

The Chinese government highly values the important role of human rights instruments, and has acceded to 26 such instruments including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Chinese Government has faithfully fulfilled its treaty obligations, taken measures to ensure the alignment of our domestic legislation and judicial and administrative practice with treaty provisions, and submitted its implementation reports on time. Since the return of Hong Kong and Macao to the motherland, the Chinese Government, in accordance with the principle of “One Country, Two Systems”, has supported the Hong Kong Special Administrative District and the Macao Special Administrative District in fulfilling their treaty obligations.

This year, the Chinese government submitted its 6th report under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment of Punishment, which gave a comprehensive presentation of the implementation by the Chinese government in the period 2008-2012. In September, the Chinese Government sent a delegation to attend the consideration by the Committee on the Rights of the Child of the 3rd and 4th combined report on China’s implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In the future, China will do more to actively fulfill its treaty obligations, strengthen dialogue and cooperation with treaty bodies and make greater contributions to the development of the international human right cause.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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