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Statement by Counsellor Yao Shaojun during the Dialogue with the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the Third Committee of the Sixty-ninth Session of the General Assembly

2014-10-22 23:28

Madam Chair,

The Chinese delegation wishes to congratulate Mr. Al Hussein once again on his assumption as the High Commissioner for Human Rights and welcomes his first dialogue with the Third Committee. The Chinese delegation thanks the High Commission for his report and appreciates the efforts made by OHCHR under the leadership of Mr. Al Hussein to actively protect and promote human rights.

Madam Chair,

OHCHR, as an important agency in charge of human rights matters within the UN system, should further strengthen its dialogue and cooperation with all parties and effectively deal with multiple new issues and challenges in the area of human rights across the world. The Chinese delegation would like to share a number of points concerning the work of OHCHR.

Firstly, we hope that OHCHR will actively carry out its work within its mandate. As part of the UN Secretariat, OHCHR should strictly comply with the mandate entrusted to it by the General Assembly, uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and be committed to promoting the dialogue and cooperation in the field of human rights. China encourages OHCHR to further enhance its exchanges and cooperation with the Member States. While encouraging more constructive and effective participation of the civil society in the work of the UN human rights mechanisms, OHCHR should strictly follow the relevant provisions and resolutions of ECOSOC.

Secondly, we hope that OHCHR will formulate and implement its plan of work in a balanced manner. It should attach equal importance to all human rights and, in particular, adopt a balanced approach to promote civil and political rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development. At the same time, it should respect the right of the people of all countries to choose, on their own, their social systems, paths of development and modes of human rights protection, and help countries with different social systems, religious beliefs and cultural traditions to learn from each other and forge consensus on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

Thirdly, we hope that OHCHR will maintain its credibility and uphold the principles. In its efforts to fulfill its function, it should adhere to the principle of neutrality, objectivity and impartiality, resolutely resist the practices of politicizing, selectivity and double standards in dealing with human rights issues, and firmly maintain the credibility and authority of the international human rights mechanisms. We would like to ask the High Commissioner to elaborate for us on his specific ideas and measures about how to promote international dialogue and cooperation in the field of human rights.

Fourthly, we hope that OHCHR will attach great importance to the positions and concerns of the developing countries. It should increase the representation of the personnel from the developing countries, including recruiting more local staff in its regional and country offices. Furthermore, it should enhance the transparency in the utilization of the funds and the effectiveness in its internal management of the publication of the information.

Madam Chair,

China will continue to support and cooperate with the work of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and further strengthen the dialogue and cooperation with the High Commissioner and OHCHR on the basis of mutual respect with a view to working together to make contributions in the field of international human rights.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

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