Assessment Report on the National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2009-2010)
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Xinhua, July 14, 2011
Contents
Preface
I. Overall Implementation
II. Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
III. Civil and Political Rights
IV. Guarantee of the Rights and Interests of Ethnic Minorities, Women, Children, Elderly People and the Disabled
V. Human Rights Education for the Public
VI. Performing International Human Rights Duties, and Conducting Exchanges and Cooperation in the Field of International Human Rights
I. Overall Implementation
During the two years 2009 and 2010, China faced the most difficult economic situation since entering the new century, but it also made remarkable achievements in promoting human rights by comprehensively implementing the National Human Rights Action Plan (2009-2010) while rising up to various challenges. The Chinese government has embraced respecting and safeguarding human rights as one of the major principles for managing state affairs; incorporated the implementation of the Action Plan into all work promoting social reform, development and stability; appropriately tackled the impacts of the global financial crisis; defeated the grave challenges posed by severe natural disasters; forcefully advanced reform and opening-up, and the modernization drive; and comprehensively fulfilled the goals and tasks set by the Action Plan, thereby making significant progress in promoting the cause of China' s human rights.
- Upholding the principle of putting people first, appropriately addressing the heavy toll brought about by the global financial crisis and the challenges posed by major natural disasters, and unswervingly advancing the cause of human rights
During 2009 and 2010, an unprecedented global financial crisis spread throughout the world, which imposed a heavy toll on global economic and social development, and posed severe threat to people's life and human rights. Facing this tough situation, the Chinese government persistently incorporated addressing the financial crisis and maintaining sound and relatively rapid economic and social development with implementing the Action Plan and advancing the cause of human rights in China; integrated expanding domestic demand, adjusting the economic structure and maintaining economic growth with improving people's livelihood; and took prompt measures with an investment of over four trillion yuan. The Chinese government accelerated subsidized housing projects, rural infrastructure construction, health care and education projects, railway, highway and airport construction, and ecological and environmental construction, and raised rural and urban residents' incomes, especially that of low-income groups, thus taking the lead in realizing overall economic recovery and improving the people's life with tremendous achievements obvious to all. In 2009 and 2010, China's GDP increased by 9.2 percent and 10.3 percent, urban residents' disposable income by 9.8 percent and 7.8 percent, and rural residents' net income by 8.5 percent and 10.9 percent respectively over the previous year. China's unremitting efforts to address the global financial crisis not only ensured its stable and relatively rapid economic development and the continuous improvement of its human rights situation, it also made significant contributions to helping other countries shake off the financial crisis, achieve economic recovery and improve their people's livelihood.
In 2009 and 2010, China suffered several major natural disasters, shouldering the heavy task of disaster relief and rescue, post-disaster reconstruction, and facing tremendous challenges to people's lives and property and human rights. On May 12, 2008, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0 - the most devastating and widespread since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 - hit Wenchuan, Sichuan Province, with an affected area covering about 500,000 sq km, including a severely stricken area of 130,000 sq km, leaving 69,227 persons dead, 17,923 missing and 370,000 injured, and a direct economic loss of 845.1 billion yuan. On April 14, 2010, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Yushu, Qinghai Province, with 2,698 persons dead and 270 missing. On August 7, 2010, a landslide in Zhouqu, Gansu Province, resulted in two thirds of the area being flooded, 1,501 persons dead and 264 missing. Facing these severe natural disasters, the Chinese government persisted in putting the security of people's lives on top of its work agenda, and promptly organized disaster relief and rescue work, doing everything to save as many lives as possible and reduce losses to the minimum, thus writing a new chapter in the history of humanitarian rescue. During the post-disaster reconstruction, the Chinese government, upholding the principle of putting people first, respecting nature, and conducting overall planning and scientific reconstruction, promptly adopted multiple disaster relief policies and measures, and incorporated the safeguarding of human rights into policies and measures for disaster relief and post-disaster reconstruction. The Action Plan has specific stipulations on safeguarding human rights during the post-disaster reconstruction of Wenchuan. Over the past two years, the three-year Wenchuan post-disaster reconstruction task has been basically completed; the basic living conditions of disaster victims and the economic development of disaster-stricken areas has either equaled or exceeded the pre-disaster levels, with guaranteed housing and employment for every family. Following the Yushu earthquake and Zhouqu landslide, reconstruction proceeded in an orderly manner, and the human rights of people in the disaster-stricken areas were effectively safeguarded.
- Incorporating respecting and safeguarding human rights with advancing scientific development and promoting social harmony, and thereby effectively protecting the right to participation and development of all individuals on an equal footing
In 2009 and 2010, the Chinese government, applying the Scientific Outlook on Development, incorporated the implementation of the Action Plan with advancing scientific development and promoting social harmony, with balancing urban and rural development, regional development, economic and social development, the harmonious development of man and nature, and domestic development and opening to the outside world. Regarding the protection of people's right to subsistence and development as top priorities in the safeguarding of human rights, the government spared no effort to solve the practical problems of the utmost and immediate concern for the people regarding their rights and interests; continuously improved institutional arrangements for safeguarding and bettering the people's livelihood; positively promoted employment, while accelerating the development of various social improvement undertakings; advanced the equalization of basic public services; put more efforts into adjusting income distribution and extending the benefits of development to all. These policies and measures effectively enhanced the people's right to subsistence and development, as well as their economic, social and cultural interests. Over the past two years, the people's life has been remarkably improved; urban residents' average disposable income and rural residents' average net income have increased by large margins; a social security system covering both urban and rural areas has been gradually perfected; the framework of a basic health service system and basic medical care system covering urban and rural residents have been primarily established; education and culture have been increasingly developed; considerable progress has been made toward the goal of ensuring education, employment, housing, health care, and old-age support for all; and the rights and interests of ethnic minorities, women, children, elderly people and the disabled have been further enhanced.
- Incorporating respecting and safeguarding human rights with strengthening democracy and the rule of law, vigorously and steadily advancing political system reform, and protecting the people's civil and political rights in accordance with the law
During 2009 and 2010, China, upholding the principles of the leading role of the Communist Party of China, the people as masters of the country and the rule of law, incorporated the implementation of the Action Plan into every link of the efforts to strengthen democracy and the legal system; energetically and steadily pushed forward political system reform; expanded citizens' orderly political participation; improved institutions of democracy, diversified its forms and expanded its channels; made government affairs known to the public by increasing policy-making transparency and public participation as well as advancing scientific and democratic policy-making; practiced democratic election, policy-making, governance and supervision in accordance with the law; put more efforts into protecting the people's rights to information, participation, expression and supervision. The revised Electoral Law of the People's Republic of China on the National People's Congress and Local People's Congresses explicitly stipulates that urban and rural deputies to people's congresses shall be elected in accordance with the corresponding population proportion, so as to ensure citizens' equal right to vote. This is a significant progress in China's construction of democratic politics. China has incorporated the principle of respecting and safeguarding human rights into all aspects of legislation, administration and judiciary, and has strengthened its control and supervision over public power. Over the past two years, the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee have adopted 30 laws and resolutions closely related to human rights. By the end of 2010, China had enacted 236 laws, over 690 administrative laws and regulations, and over 8,600 local laws and regulations (all are currently in effect). A legal system with Chinese socialist characteristics has been basically established, covering all sectors of social life and all aspects of human rights protection.
In conclusion, with the close attention and strong leadership of the Party's Central Committee and the State Council, all departments and institutions of the central state organs, local governments and society as a whole have pledged joint efforts and pressed forward against difficulties to implement the Action Plan conscientiously, comprehensively and resolutely. By the end of 2010, all measures stipulated in the Action Plan had been put into practice, with all the goals achieved and tasks fulfilled in due time. Of these, 35 percent of the binding targets and over 50 percent of the targets concerning the people's livelihood had been met ahead of time or exceeded, thus realizing the comprehensive implementation of the Action Plan. Besides the tasks stipulated in the Action Plan, the Chinese government has made extra efforts in other fields and aspects. With the full implementation of the Action Plan, Chinese citizens' awareness of human rights has been remarkably enhanced; the people's overall living situation has been markedly improved; their economic, social and cultural rights and interests have been comprehensively safeguarded; their civil and political rights have been effectively protected; the rights and interests of ethnic minorities, women, children, elderly people and the disabled have been robustly safeguarded; international communication and cooperation on promoting human rights have been further advanced; and safeguarding human rights in all fields has been put on the path of institutionalization and legalization. The fulfillment of all targets and tasks in the Action Plan as scheduled shows that the cause of human rights in China has entered a new stage. This is a significant achievement made by the Chinese government by thoroughly applying the Scientific Outlook on Development which puts people first, appropriately tackling the big impact of the global financial crisis and the challenges posed by various major natural disasters, and pushing forward socio-economic development while improving the people's living standard; it is also significant progress that China achieved through implementing the constitutional principle that "the state respects and safeguards human rights," incorporating the principle of universal human rights with China's actual national situation, and unswervingly pushing forward the country's cause of human rights.
It should be remembered that China remains a developing country with significantly unbalanced national development, e.g., resource and environmental restriction for economic growth, wide gap in income distribution, unbalanced urban and rural development, insufficient and unevenly distributed educational and medical resources, increasing pressure for price rise, soaring housing prices in some cities, increasing social conflicts caused by illegal land requisition, and food safety problems. Affected and restricted by natural, historical and cultural factors, and economic and social development levels, the cause of human rights in China is still facing many challenges, and there is still a long way to go before achieving the lofty goal of Chinese citizens fully enjoying human rights.
China will continue to adhere to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, while upholding the principle of putting people first; further improve and enhance the mechanism of safeguarding the rights and interests of the masses guided by the Party and the government; improve the legal system to safeguard human rights and enhance social awareness of respecting and protecting human rights; comprehensively push forward the cause of human rights in China, and ensure that the basic rights and interests of all individuals are effectively safeguarded and their lives more secure, dignified and happy.
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