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When Sun Yuan was born in a village in Hobq Desert in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, there were no roads, and Sun’s mother feared if the infant girl became ill she might not survive the 12-hour journey to the nearest hospital. Sun’s grandfather believed Sun would be better off if she lived with relatives in the city, but he was killed when the family’s house collapsed in a sandstorm.
Sun’s life changed when roads were finally laid down. In order to protect the roads from sandstorms, trees were planted, along with grass and herbs. Sun’s father told her that the trees would provide the children with better living conditions. The trees not only halted the sandstorms but also enabled people in the desert to prosper.
Now there are beautiful gardens and clean air in Hobq. Sun, now 12 years old, has a new home and studies at a school as well-equipped as one in the city.
Sun’s story sheds light on the relationship between the environment and human rights, a theme of the fifth annual Beijing Human Rights Forum hosted by the China Society for Human Rights Studies from December 12 to 14, where more than 100 human rights experts and officials from 32 countries and regions participated in discussions exploring the intersections of human rights and diverse topics such as the environment, science and technology.
“History is wrought with examples of how the development of science and technology has promoted the liberation of human thought and how the liberation of thought has promoted the development of science and technology in return,” said Wang Chen, Minister of China’s State Council Information Office at the forum’s opening. “The advancement of science and technology has not only improved the quality of life across the globe but also impacted how we perceive human rights.”
Environmental impact
Wang Wenbiao, once head of a salt factory in Hobq and now Chairman of the China Elion Resource Group, is credited with leading a 24-year campaign to turn Hobq into an oasis.
“Transforming the desert is the greatest philanthropy,” Wang said at the forum.
The essential human right to enjoy a healthy and clean environment has been acknowledged by the international community since the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The Declaration of the UN Conference on the Human Environment first connected human rights with environmental protection at the Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972. The UN Draft Declaration of Principles on Human Rights and the Environment of 1994 states, “All persons have the right to a secure, healthy and ecologically sound environment. This right and other human rights, including civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights, are universal, interdependent and indivisible.”
The Chinese Government has made a concrete effort to protect people’s environmental rights. The National Human Rights Action Plan (2009-10) released by the State Council Information Office recognizes environmental rights as key in the protection of human rights, stating that “China will take an active part in international cooperation in an effort to create an environment favorable for human existence and sustainable development and build a resourceconserving and environmentally friendly society to guarantee the public’s environmental rights.”
“A good natural environment can ensure human survival and development, therefore realizing human rights,” said Seiichi Ota, a 78-year-old Japanese volunteer who over the past 20 years has planted 9 million trees, covering over 5,000 hectares in Inner Mongolia.“If the natural environment that people rely upon for survival is destroyed or threatened, how can we talk about human development? How can we talk about human rights?”
Orest Nowosad, an official at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the UN, also highlighted the strong connection between the environment and human rights in his speech, saying that a healthy environment is indeed the precondition to the enjoyment of a wider range of human rights, including the most fundamental right to life.
Digital rights
The Internet and its place in society was also raised at the forum. Experts agreed that the Internet is a two-edged sword, which both facilitated the protection of human rights while posing challenges.
Nowosad said that the Internet has transformed the human rights movements. It is an indispensable tool for people to receive information. For example, it promotes the right to education by offering online classes.
The Internet has also offered a channel for common people to express their opinions, thereby promoting freedom of speech. “In traditional media, only opinions that meet the political needs of a small group of people will be published; however, with the Internet, everybody can express their concerns,” said Li Yunlong, a professor at the Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. Statistics from the China Internet Network Information Center show that the country’s Internet users was 538 million at the end of June, more than a third of the country’s population. The Internet has become an important means for the public to supervise the government. Chinese citizens disclose social problems, criticize government and supervise officials via the Internet. In November alone, discipline violation and corruption cases of more than 10 officials were exposed by netizens online.
According to Feng Jiancang, head of the Human Rights Office of the Institute for Crime Prevention under China’s Ministry of Justice, the Internet is also becoming popular among Chinese inmates.
In his speech at the forum, Feng cited the example of a Beijing prison where the inmates can order food from the canteen and shop the prison commissary online.
“The system which we now use to browse information, order food and shop online enables us to keep up with the latest trends in society and experience a modern way of life so that one day when we get out of the prison, we can be accustomed to it,” said an inmate surnamed Wu as quoted by Feng. “In addition, this system broadens our horizons. Since we can learn all the major news and events, we are no longer isolated from society.”
“Although some of the prisoners’ rights are restrained or suspended, the rights that are not restrained should be well-respected,”Feng said.
However, Nina Karpachova, a member of the Board of the European Ombudsman Institute, was concerned with the side effects of the Internet. She said that people, especially children, remain vulnerable in the modern global network. “They can be victims of criminals, swindlers, preachers of hatred and terrorists, or be exposed to pornographic videos,” Karpachova said.
In addition, people’s privacy might be easily infringed upon on the Internet. For example, sexually explicit photos of a dozen of Hong Kong entertainers spread online in an incident dubbed the 2008 Edison Chen photo scandal.
“The Internet was partly to blame for the scandal because without the Internet, the photos couldn’t have been so widely spread,”said Si Jinquan, Deputy Director General of the Publicity Department of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, in a paper submitted to the forum.
Karpachova said that the UN should create an international legal framework to regulate cyberspace by consensus.
Sun’s life changed when roads were finally laid down. In order to protect the roads from sandstorms, trees were planted, along with grass and herbs. Sun’s father told her that the trees would provide the children with better living conditions. The trees not only halted the sandstorms but also enabled people in the desert to prosper.
Now there are beautiful gardens and clean air in Hobq. Sun, now 12 years old, has a new home and studies at a school as well-equipped as one in the city.
Sun’s story sheds light on the relationship between the environment and human rights, a theme of the fifth annual Beijing Human Rights Forum hosted by the China Society for Human Rights Studies from December 12 to 14, where more than 100 human rights experts and officials from 32 countries and regions participated in discussions exploring the intersections of human rights and diverse topics such as the environment, science and technology.
“History is wrought with examples of how the development of science and technology has promoted the liberation of human thought and how the liberation of thought has promoted the development of science and technology in return,” said Wang Chen, Minister of China’s State Council Information Office at the forum’s opening. “The advancement of science and technology has not only improved the quality of life across the globe but also impacted how we perceive human rights.”
Environmental impact
Wang Wenbiao, once head of a salt factory in Hobq and now Chairman of the China Elion Resource Group, is credited with leading a 24-year campaign to turn Hobq into an oasis.
“Transforming the desert is the greatest philanthropy,” Wang said at the forum.
The essential human right to enjoy a healthy and clean environment has been acknowledged by the international community since the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The Declaration of the UN Conference on the Human Environment first connected human rights with environmental protection at the Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972. The UN Draft Declaration of Principles on Human Rights and the Environment of 1994 states, “All persons have the right to a secure, healthy and ecologically sound environment. This right and other human rights, including civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights, are universal, interdependent and indivisible.”
The Chinese Government has made a concrete effort to protect people’s environmental rights. The National Human Rights Action Plan (2009-10) released by the State Council Information Office recognizes environmental rights as key in the protection of human rights, stating that “China will take an active part in international cooperation in an effort to create an environment favorable for human existence and sustainable development and build a resourceconserving and environmentally friendly society to guarantee the public’s environmental rights.”
“A good natural environment can ensure human survival and development, therefore realizing human rights,” said Seiichi Ota, a 78-year-old Japanese volunteer who over the past 20 years has planted 9 million trees, covering over 5,000 hectares in Inner Mongolia.“If the natural environment that people rely upon for survival is destroyed or threatened, how can we talk about human development? How can we talk about human rights?”
Orest Nowosad, an official at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the UN, also highlighted the strong connection between the environment and human rights in his speech, saying that a healthy environment is indeed the precondition to the enjoyment of a wider range of human rights, including the most fundamental right to life.
Digital rights
The Internet and its place in society was also raised at the forum. Experts agreed that the Internet is a two-edged sword, which both facilitated the protection of human rights while posing challenges.
Nowosad said that the Internet has transformed the human rights movements. It is an indispensable tool for people to receive information. For example, it promotes the right to education by offering online classes.
The Internet has also offered a channel for common people to express their opinions, thereby promoting freedom of speech. “In traditional media, only opinions that meet the political needs of a small group of people will be published; however, with the Internet, everybody can express their concerns,” said Li Yunlong, a professor at the Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. Statistics from the China Internet Network Information Center show that the country’s Internet users was 538 million at the end of June, more than a third of the country’s population. The Internet has become an important means for the public to supervise the government. Chinese citizens disclose social problems, criticize government and supervise officials via the Internet. In November alone, discipline violation and corruption cases of more than 10 officials were exposed by netizens online.
According to Feng Jiancang, head of the Human Rights Office of the Institute for Crime Prevention under China’s Ministry of Justice, the Internet is also becoming popular among Chinese inmates.
In his speech at the forum, Feng cited the example of a Beijing prison where the inmates can order food from the canteen and shop the prison commissary online.
“The system which we now use to browse information, order food and shop online enables us to keep up with the latest trends in society and experience a modern way of life so that one day when we get out of the prison, we can be accustomed to it,” said an inmate surnamed Wu as quoted by Feng. “In addition, this system broadens our horizons. Since we can learn all the major news and events, we are no longer isolated from society.”
“Although some of the prisoners’ rights are restrained or suspended, the rights that are not restrained should be well-respected,”Feng said.
However, Nina Karpachova, a member of the Board of the European Ombudsman Institute, was concerned with the side effects of the Internet. She said that people, especially children, remain vulnerable in the modern global network. “They can be victims of criminals, swindlers, preachers of hatred and terrorists, or be exposed to pornographic videos,” Karpachova said.
In addition, people’s privacy might be easily infringed upon on the Internet. For example, sexually explicit photos of a dozen of Hong Kong entertainers spread online in an incident dubbed the 2008 Edison Chen photo scandal.
“The Internet was partly to blame for the scandal because without the Internet, the photos couldn’t have been so widely spread,”said Si Jinquan, Deputy Director General of the Publicity Department of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, in a paper submitted to the forum.
Karpachova said that the UN should create an international legal framework to regulate cyberspace by consensus.