Dialogue reduces human rights differences

Source: CCTV.com | 04-23-2008 08:59
http://www.cctv.com/english/20080423/101374_1.shtml

Human rights dialogue between people around the world, helps narrows differences and promotes common ground. That's was the consensus reached by international participants at the end of the Beijing Human Rights Forum.

The forum offered a rare chance to exchange ideas in an open debate on human rights. The core reason for the dialogue is to better understand people's different views.

Chen Shiqiu, vice president of China Society for Human Rights Studies, said, "Human rights have been used by some forces in the west as a political tool to exercise pressure on those they don't like."

Unlike some western cultures that focus on individual and political rights, China upholds collective, social and economic rights. Human rights experts expressed a proposal to build common ground.

Jeremy Paltiel, associate professor of Carleton University, Canada, said, "Not to say my country is superior to yours, but rather we are human beings face these problems, how to solve them together."

Sergei Ordzhonikidze, director general of United Nations Office in Geneva, said, "The dialogue is very important, it is the fact it is going on in the newly created Human Rights Council. "
As the host of the forum, China's human rights situation is one of the focal points. But many participants expressed positive comments in this area.

Sirkka Korpela, professor of Columbia University, USA, said, "People can come and see how China develops and how beautiful Beijing is, how much Chinese people enjoy all aspect of life. I think ignorance and lack of information that often have in the western countries, and that's the cause for many conflicts."

Though the conference has concluded, dialogue will continue, as human rights will remain an everlasting issue.

This is not the first time China has hosted an international conference to open dialogue and narrow differences on human rights issues. By holding such an event, China hopes to improve human rights for Chinese and help create a more favorable environment for the upcoming Olympics and its development.

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• human
• rights
• china