United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson
said that she is satisfied with the implementation of a two-year
memorandum of understanding (MOU) on technical cooperations between
her office and China aimed at furthering the promotion of human
rights conditions in the country.
"I
am very satisfied with the spirit of cooperation...of the Chinese
Government," said Robinson during a telephone interview with
China Daily on Friday.
After two years of discussions, China and the Office of the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights signed the MOU in November 2000,
pledging to work together in areas such as judicial administration,
human rights education, the building of a judicial system and the
promotion of economic, social and cultural rights.
In
the past two years, international workshops have been held in the
framework of such issues as human rights education, the punishment
of minor crimes and re-education through labor.
A
new workshop for judges and lawyers starts today in Beijing, where
Robinson, on three-day visit to the Chinese capital, will be
present.
"It is a part of the success of the program that it has not been
that the workshops kicked off and finished, but rather that the
workshops are supposed to lead to the next step -- the process,"
commented Robinson.
"I
think the strength of the program is in the process of working
together very closely on very key issues of human rights for China
-- processes and legislative and other changes that China is facing
in order to meet the standards of the (International) Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights," she added.
China has signed both the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights. The latter document was ratified by the
National People's Congress, China's top legislative body in
February last year.
Apart from opening the workshop, Robinson will also, during her
brief stay in Beijing, evaluate the implementation of the MOU, the
first agreement on technical cooperation between the Chinese
Government and her office. She is also scheduled to hold meetings
with Chinese officials including Vice-Foreign Minister Wang Guangya
and Vice-Premier Qian Qichen during which Robinson said they would
"take stock of the wider human rights situation."
"I
have higher expectations (for this visit) because I have found that
on each of my visits there has been an opportunity to deepen
further cooperation between my office and the government of China
on expanding the cooperation program," said Robinson, commenting on
her seventh visit and probably the last one to China in her current
capacity.
"I
hope we can have discussions about future activities under that
program," she said.
Chinese Government leaders and officials, including Vice-Premier
Qian, have repeatedly voiced China's willingness to participate in
international cooperation in human rights protection. Besides the
High Commissioner's Office, China has also conducted dialogues with
the European Union and the United States on human rights
protection.
(China
Daily August 19, 2002)