By Chen Yugang

Building national human rights education and training bases is part of China’s human rights development, which shows the strong will of the Chinese government for promoting human rights and strengthening human rights protection. Such an action is not only a practical measure for implementing international human rights action plans, but also a practice of the Chinese government in respecting and implementing relevant international obligations set by the United Nations.

We feel a great sense of honor and a big responsibility in becoming one of the second group of five national human rights education and training bases.

Respecting human rights is respecting people’s dignity and value. Human rights are a concept, a form of practical interests with economic, social, cultural and ecological aspects, a modern way of state governance and an important symbol of social civilization and advancement. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese government sticks to the principle of putting people first and advocates an integrated concept of human rights that is inseparable, interdependent as well as promotes and goes along with each other. China adheres to the concept that the government plays a leading role, all social forces cooperate with each other, individuals actively take part and legal protection is ensured. Gradual progress based on the real conditions of Chinese society has drawn attention from the world. The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has further deepened reform and opening-up, promoted democratic and legal construction and modernized state governance, enhanced coordinated development in the political, economic, social, cultural and ecological aspects, and lifted China’s human rights development to a higher level.

Fudan University set up its human rights research center 12 years ago. Being a national human rights education and training base is a great incentive to Fudan’s human rights research. Fudan University pays great attention to the construction of the human rights base. Zhu Zhiwen, secretary of the University Committee of the Communist Party of China, takes the lead in the advisory committee for the base. Prof. Lin Shangli, vice president of the university, is director of the base. Fudan is going to mobilize all its resources, streamline research forces, optimize its interdisciplinary advantages, sharpen its own research identity and specialty, build the national base into an international platform of academic exchange, spread China’s human rights concept, enhance the harmonious development of China’s human rights, encourage international dialogue on human rights, and offer great ideas for China’s human rights development.

In the new round of reform, China has moved its human rights development onto a fast track. The Fudan base should be guided by the theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics, with support from the Ministry of Education, the State Council Information Office and the China Society for Human Rights Studies, closely cooperate with human rights research institutions at other universities, summarize good experience in the construction of China’s human rights, study issues in the process of developing human rights in China, propose solutions to such issues, jointly explore human rights theories with Chinese characteristics and strive for further development in human rights.

(This is a speech by Chen Yugang from Fudan University at the ceremony naming the second group of national human rights education and training bases.)