China will release its first national action plan on human rights early next year, a senior government official said on Tuesday.

"The document has concrete measures, including efforts in poverty reduction, protection of women and children's rights, and (promoting) economic and social equality," Wang Chen, minister in charge of the State Council Information Office, told reporters.

The action plan is being drafted by a panel from the office and Foreign Ministry, joined by more than 50 departments, public associations and non-governmental organizations, he said.

The Chinese government issued the first white paper describing the country's human rights situation in 1991, officially adopting the concept of "human rights" in its political strategy.

Since then, the country has issued 40 such documents on human rights protection but never a state action plan on what it is going to do in this field.

Wang said the action plan is written to commemorate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted at the UN General Assembly in 1948. "It will also serve as a strong propeller to push forward China's human rights cause," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency December 30, 2008)