China Focus: New human rights action plan targets benefits for all: official

China's human rights action plan, released Thursday, aims to extend the benefits of development to all, promising greater support for vulnerable groups, an official with the State Council Information Office told Xinhua.

The National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2016-2020), which follows the two previous plans covering the 2009-2010 and 2012-2015 periods, has been designed to help everyone exercise their rights, with no distinction, the official stressed.

To this end, the action plan pledges more resources and policy support for rural, remote and under-developed areas, and aims to ensure equal access to public services.

Over the next five years, China will work toward eliminating gender discrimination and safeguarding the rights and interests of disadvantaged groups, the official said, adding that the aim is to ensure that everyone can benefit from China's advances.

The action plan prioritizes the public's concerns, the official said, citing its inclusion of precision policy to help with poverty relief work, the right to property, and changes to the household registration system.

For instance, the action plan called for "a modern property-rights system featuring clear ownership, clearly defined rights and obligations, rigorous protection, and easy transfer."

To make this happen, the Land Administration Law should be amended and supporting laws and regulations rolled out. Moreover, a registration system for immovable and a rigorous intellectual property rights protection system, among others, should be established.

The action plan, the official added, "synchronizes with the 13th Five-Year Plan," with the protection of human rights running in parallel with economic and social development over the next five years.

Improving people's lives will be part and parcel of safeguarding the public's economic, social and cultural rights, according to the official.

"The connection between social development trends and emerging issues in human rights, such as rights on the Internet, will [help us to] better protect people's civil and political rights," the official said.

Thanks to the first two action plans, "public awareness of respecting and guaranteeing human rights has improved significantly, and international human rights exchanges and cooperation have continued to advance," the official commented.

Challenges do, however, remain. In health care, education, elderly care, food and drug safety, income distribution and the environment, which are all closely related to key rights, difficulties are still unsolved, the official said. "The rule of law in safeguarding human rights needs to be further promoted."

The new action plan prioritizes the protection of people's rights to subsistence and development, and takes well-being and all-round development as the starting point and ultimate goal of all human rights work, the official underscored.

It serves the purposes of fully safeguarding citizens' civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, especially those of groups like ethnic minorities, minors and people with disabilities, promoting human rights training and international human rights work.

The plan will be implemented to make sure that all people enjoy equal human rights, by engaging the government, enterprises, public institutions and social organizations, the official added.

To effectively implement the action plan, the official suggested that improvements be made to the supervision and assessment, for example, by introducing a third-party assessment mechanism.

Agencies at state and local levels should work out detailed measures according to their own situations, functions and features, the official said, highlighting the constructive role social organizations could play in the process. Endi