Photo taken on Sept 14, 2020 shows the outside view of the United Nations headquarters in New York, the United States. (WANG YING / XINHUA)
GENEVA – Multilateral human rights mechanisms should serve as a platform for cooperation and dialogue, rather than a venue for division and confrontation, China's permanent representative to the UN Office in Geneva Chen Xu said on Tuesday.
Chen told the ongoing 50th session of Human Rights Council that in recent years, "the Human Rights Council has become increasingly politicized and confrontational, and disinformation has become rampant, which seriously runs counter to the original purpose of the Human Rights Council."
Multilateral human rights mechanisms should abide by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, promote the common values of humanity, and oppose the politicization and instrumentalization of human rights issues, double standards, as well as interference in the internal affairs of member states under the pretext of human rights.
Chen Xu, China's permanent representative to the UN Office
Chen said that all parties should promote multilateralism in the field of human rights, uphold the principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity, non-selectivity and non-politicization, and jointly promote the sound development of the international human rights cause.
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"Multilateral human rights mechanisms should abide by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, promote the common values of humanity, and oppose the politicization and instrumentalization of human rights issues, double standards, as well as interference in the internal affairs of member states under the pretext of human rights," he noted.
He added that solidarity needs to be strengthened, while constructive dialogue and cooperation be carried out on the basis of equality and mutual respect.
"We should make efforts to expand common understanding, reduce differences, promote mutual learning and seek progress together," he said.
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He told the Council that multilateral human rights mechanisms also need to work on the basis of authentic and objective information, respect the sovereignty of States and the human rights development path chosen by each country in light of its national conditions, and provide technical assistance with the consent of the countries concerned.
"The staff composition of multilateral human rights mechanisms should reflect the principle of equitable geographical distribution, and absorb more talents from developing countries, so as to make multilateral human rights mechanisms truly representative," he added.