The predecessor of the Central South University Human Rights Center was the Institute of Justice and Human Rights of the Central South University which was established in 2004. On October 26, 2017, the Institute was renamed as the Central South University Human Rights Center. On December 19, 2019, the Center was selected as a source think tank of "China Think Tank Index" (CTTI) by the Think Tank Research and Release Center of Guangming Daily and China Think Tank Research and Evaluation Center at Nanjing University. On April 13, 2018, Xiangba Pingcuo, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress and president of the Chinese Society for Human Rights Studies, paid an on-site visit and fully affirmed the development of the Center.

 

There are 9 full-time research fellows and 32 part-time research fellows from multiple disciplines in Central South University Human Rights Center. The Center is committed to advancing human rights research in characteristic fields on the basis of interdisciplinary research by integrating academic resources such as Law, Sociology, Ethics, Literature, Journalism and Communication, Medicine, Nursing, Education. The Center has gradually developed several characteristic research directions such as health law and the right to health, cultural law and cultural rights, education law and the right to education, international human rights mechanisms and the dissemination of human rights discourse. Since 2004, the university has won bids for 54 national projects in the field of human rights, including 3 major projects like "Research on the Legalization of Basic Medical Service Guarantee" and "Research on the National Cultural Legal System," as well as 5 key projects. Research fellows have published 23 monographs and more than 200 papers pertinent to human rights in authoritative journals and newspapers at home and abroad such as "Chinese Legal Science" "Chinese Journal of Law" "People's Daily" "Guangming Daily".

 

The Center has been actively engaged in government advisory work. Since 2018, research fellows of the Center have undertaken or participated in the drafting, revision and compilation of a number of national human rights documents. The consulting reports submitted have received more than 20 instructions from officials at the provincial and ministerial level. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, more than 30 policy recommendation reports have been submitted to all levels of governments or relevant departments. Among them, internal reports like the Implementation of the Civil Code and the Protection of Human Rights, the Recommendation to Award the Title of Epidemic Prevention Heroes and Martyrs received affirmative approval from three members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. The Center has also pushed forward the enactment of relevant policies.

 

The Center has carried out international exchanges and cooperation frequently. In recent five years, the Center has hosted eight high-level international academic conferences to spread Chinese discourse to the outside world. The members in the Center have participated in the 40th, 42nd, 44th and 45th sessions of the Human Rights Council and its side events themed on "Progress on Human Rights in China" "The Fight Against Extremism and Human Rights Protection in Xinjiang" and "70 Years of Progress on Human Rights in China" and have actively participated in bilateral human rights diplomatic activities as well. Full-time research fellows of the Center have delivered keynote speeches to various international conferences over 20 times. Foreign experts from Yale University, the University of Münster, the University of Hamburg, the University of Cologne and the International Committee of the Red Cross have been invited to give lectures on medical and health law, social security law, international criminal law, international humanitarian law and other related courses. Besides, human rights experts and scholars from home and abroad have been welcomed to make their contributions by giving a series of theme lectures on "Central South University Human Rights Forum". Meanwhile, we have received visiting scholars from abroad, sent our teachers for academic visits and supported PhD candidates to apply for CSC sponsored programs to conduct research overseas in order to promoting academic exchanges on human rights between China and other countries.

 

The Center has made fruitful achievements in the cultivation of talents. In recent years, approximately 100 master and doctoral students have written dissertations on human rights and Post-doctors have accomplished reports related to human rights. We have enrolled nearly 40 doctoral and master students from abroad. The members of the Center have instructed undergraduates to win the first prize of the 16th "Challenge Cup" National College Students Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Works Competition (2019), the second prize of the 13th "Challenge Cup" College Students Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Works Competition in Hunan Province (2019); guided undergraduates to win the final champion of the Chinese competition of ICC Moot Court Competition (2019, International Criminal Court) and the first prize of Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition (2019).

 

The activities and academic views of the Center have been published and cited by the national media for many times. The mainstream media like People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency, Guangming Daily, China Daily, China Media Group, People's Daily Online, Guangming Online, China News Network, the website of the Global Times have reported activities of the Center for 26 times. Academic views of the Center’s research fellows have been published or broadcasted for many times by People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency, Guangming Daily, China Media Group and other influential media as well. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, members of the Center have been interviewed many times by mainstream media such as Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily, China Media Group, People's Daily Online and Global Times, to introduce to the international community the people-centered epidemic prevention and control measures.

 

Looking forward, the Center will rely on its advantages in inter-discipline, platform development and international strategy to build the national human rights education and training base into a top national Human Rights Think Tank with international influence, cultivate talents in human rights, so as to provide intellectual support for the steady progress of the human rights cause under socialism with Chinese characteristics.