Countries urged to advance right to development

All countries should practice true multilateralism, contribute to the new vision of security, put development front and center on their international agenda, promote the right to development, and remove development barriers, a senior Chinese diplomat has said.

Wang Chao, president of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs and president of the United Nations Association of China, made the comment on Monday when addressing a general debate for the 51st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council via video link.

At the debate, focused on follow-up to and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, Wang warned that "global development and world peace are facing more uncertainties and instabilities".

COVID-19 is still threatening people's rights to life and health, and the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda is off track, he noted.

Human development has fallen back to its 2016 levels, reversing much of the progress towards Sustainable Development Goals, he said.

"Peace and development are the common cause of mankind," he said, noting that China has proposed the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, providing public goods for the global response to development and security challenges.

The GDI aims to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and to build a global community of development, while the GSI seeks to offer a new approach to eliminate the root causes of international conflict, and promote the establishment of a balanced, effective, and sustainable security architecture, achieving durable stability and security, he said.