GENEVA, March 22, 2024 -- In the narrative of the West, human rights often come across as mere rhetoric, but "when listening to what they say, we also need to see what they do," a human rights scholar said during the 55th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

 

In an interview with Xinhua, David Lopez, a consultant from the International Association for Human Rights and Social Development, urged individuals to closely examine the situation in Gaza as this will lead to a greater understanding of the West's double standards regarding human rights.

 

Lopez, a human rights defender with a strong focus on human rights issues in Latin America, is especially intrigued by China's efforts to promote and safeguard human rights as a developing nation.

 

Highlighting the progress in ensuring the educational rights of children in impoverished regions in China, Lopez said the West often overlooks human rights progress in Latin America, instead it focuses on ideological concerns, which resembles its approach towards China.

 

In an article published earlier this month, Lopez said China has made "significant progress" in poverty reduction and social development, narrowing the income gap of residents and effectively safeguarding the human rights of "the country's most vulnerable population." The West has found it difficult to understand China, "because it does not want to," he added.

 

During the 55th session of the Human Rights Council held in Geneva, many human rights experts and scholars were of a similar mind to Lopez, affirming China's progress in promoting and protecting human rights while refuting the inherent biases of the West on human rights.

 

As to Western bias, Alfred de Zayas, former UN independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, shared his experiences. "I grew up in Chicago," and was constantly indoctrinated to oppose certain specific countries and groups, he said.

 

De Zayas said it took him a long time to overcome this prejudice "by knowing people." Therefore, he supports China's broad dissemination of its achievements in promoting and protecting human rights.

 

During a side event on NGO cooperation to promote human rights protection and sustainable development, Christoph Stuckelberger, chairman of the Geneva Agape Foundation, expressed his views on the weaponization and instrumentalization of human rights by some Western countries.

 

He emphasized that every country has areas of progress and weakness concerning human rights. Mutual understanding and support should be promoted, deficiencies should be addressed, and the merits of others should be respected and learned from, rather than bluntly asserting "we have human rights, and you don't have."

 

At a lecture on the protection of rights of ethnic minorities in China held at the University of Geneva, Andre Lacroix, a Belgian Tibetologist who has visited China multiple times, said the Chinese government has provided strong support to the Xizang Autonomous Region for years, promoting local economic and social development.

 

"I can see clearly the inherent bias of Western society towards Xizang, because based on my personal experiences, I can feel that the living standards of residents in Xizang have improved significantly today," he said.