Chinese official hails nation´s first human rights action plan

Wang urged governments and government departments at all levels to make the action plan part of their responsibilities and proactively implement it, and public institutions, social and non-governmental organizations, press and media agencies, and the general public to give vigorous publicity to this action plan, and expedite its implementation.

According to Wang, the action plan was framed in response to the United Nations' call in 1993 for establishing a national human rights plan. China was one of the 26 countries that have responded to the call.

The plan reflected the principle that "the state respects and protects the human rights of its citizens" prescribed in the Constitution of China, and the essentials of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, he said.

Wang said the realization of human rights in the broadest sense had been a long-cherished ideal of mankind and also a long-pursued goal of the Chinese government and people.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, and the adoption of the reform and opening-up policy at the end of1978 in particular, the Chinese government has made efforts to promote and protect human rights.

"The human rights conditions are at the best of the Chinese history," he said.

However, as a developing country with a population of 1.3 billion, China's human rights development still faces many challenges, Wang said, listing areas to be improved including civil participation, social justice, employment, social security, education and healthcare.

He believed that if the action plan was seriously implemented and problems concerning people's direct and real interests were addressed, the human rights cause in China would record an even bigger progress.

Editor:Liu Anqi