China and like-minded countries call on UN rights chief to heed voice of developing countries

China on Thursday delivered a joint statement on behalf of the like-minded countries (LMG) during the on-going 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, calling on the UN rights chief to continue to heed the voice of developing countries.

The LMG commends UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet for underscoring dialogue and cooperation with states, and hopes that the High Commissioner will continue to heed the voice of member states, in particular the developing ones, and advance all categories of human rights in a balanced way.

The LMG hopes the High Commissioner and her office will abide by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and carry out relevant work in an impartial, objective, constructive and non-selective manner, oppose politicization of human rights and double standards, and stand against "naming and shaming" and exertion of public pressure.

Stating that LMG countries maintain a long-standing position on advocating multilateralism and cooperation, Liu Hua, Special Representative for Human Rights of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the LMG expects the High Commissioner and the UN rights office to reflect seriously upon ways to advance global human rights governance for the benefit of people of all countries while investing more efforts on emerging and frontier human rights issues.

In particular, she said, efforts should be redoubled in promoting economic, social and cultural rights and the right to development, underlining the importance of development and poverty alleviation to promoting and protecting human rights, and investing more resources in fighting racial discrimination, hate speech, terrorism and extremism, as well as protecting the rights of migrant children.

The LMG appeals to the High Commissioner and her office to respect the right of every country to choose its own path to achieve peace and development, recognize the progress and efforts of states, share good practices and experience in the field of human rights, and give more input in technical assistance in line with the country's needs and priorities.

The LMG also urges the High Commissioner and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to immediately take concrete measures in ensuring equitable geographical representation and gender parity of OHCHR staff in a transparent manner, in particular, in case of high level officials.

"It is the sincere hope of LMG that under the leadership of the High Commissioner, the OHCHR will cooperate closely with states to jointly promote the healthy development of the international human rights cause," Liu said.