During the 45th session of the UN Human Rights Council, representatives of the China Society for Human Rights Studies (CSHRS) expressed their views on several topics.

 

In terms of drinking water and sanitation, Shang Haiming, researcher at the Human Rights Institute, Southwest University of Political Science & Law, said that we should pay more attention to the safety of drinking water in rural areas. He took Shengli Town, Wuxi County in Chongqing as an example. The town was located in a mountain with a high elevation, which made it difficult to solve the issues concerning the safety of drinking water. In 2018, the local government invested 12 million yuan in the construction of related facilities, which helped more than 10,000 local residents gain access to safe water. In China’s rural areas, the centralized water supply system covers 86% of the population and 81% of the people can access tap water.

 

As regards senior citizens’ human rights, Wu Wenyang, scholar at the Human Rights Institute, China University of Political science and Law, said the spread of coronavirus poses more threats to elderly people. No countries should ignoreand discriminate the elderly in their responses to the pandemic. China particularly attaches high importance to the treatment of vulnerable groups including senior citizens, children and pregnant women. In Hubei Province, more than 3,000 elderly patients aged above 80 years old have been cured.

 

Tian Li, scholar from Shandong University, pointed out that the international community has always strived for a democratic and fair international order that benefits all especially the most vulnerable. Amid Covid-19, it’s more urgent to work together towards that end.

 

Chardia Ibra, scholar at the College of Chinese language and Literature, Xinjiang University, said that Xinjiang’s local cultures and ethnic sports have been well protected and inherited. Minority language text layout systems and speech translation systems have been developed to contribute to the informationization and social applications of minority languages.