Sept. 21, 2018 -- The 2018 Beijing Forum on Human Rights was held in Beijing on September 18-19, with the theme of "Poverty Elimination: Seeking Common Development to Build a Community of Shared Future for Human Beings." 

 

The forum is meaningful not only for China but also for the whole world. It provides a platform for other countries to learn China’s poverty reduction policies and to promote cooperation among them, said Gorge Tzogopoulos, senior research fellow of the Centre International de Formation Européenne, in his interview with en.humanrights.cn.

 

The forum gave other countries an opportunity to see how China dealt with poverty and unemployment, and possibly copy China’s experiences. In Europe, unemployment is still a big problem. Some of China’s practices are applicable and through dialogue we can learn more about China’s experience in addressing these problems, said Tzogopoulos.

 

The rights to subsistence and development are basic human rights, and some policies adopted in the west have not been successful in guaranteeing these rights, said Tzogopoulos.

 

China has lifted over 700 million people out of poverty over the past 30 years, contributing more than 70 percent of the world’s poverty reduction. This is an impressive human rights achievement, said Tzogopoulos.

 

To seek common development and build a community with a shared future for human beings, countries around the world are calling for more communication and cooperation, instead of focusing on their own development. International organizations like the United Nations are working on this. 

 

Tzogopoulos also pointed out that poverty reduction is a continuous process. We should go beyond the goal of poverty elimination and keep improving people’s living conditions.