Archive for ‘Geneva’

06/03/2019

U.N. rights chief warns India over divisive policies, harassment of Muslims

GENEVA (Reuters) – U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet warned India on Wednesday that its “divisive policies” could undermine economic growth, saying that narrow political agendas were marginalising vulnerable people in an already unequal society.

“We are receiving reports that indicate increasing harassment and targeting of minorities – in particular Muslims and people from historically disadvantaged and marginalised groups, such as Dalits and Adivasis,” Bachelet said in her annual report to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Source: Reuters

01/03/2019

China’s commerce ministry comments on WTO report on U.S. complaint about agricultural subsidies

BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) — An official with China’s Ministry of Commerce on Friday commented on a World Trade Organization (WTO) panel report regarding the complaint from the United States about Chinese agricultural subsidies.

The WTO panel report, released Thursday Geneva time, ruled against the United States in terms of China’s corn subsidy policies. “The Chinese side welcomes this [ruling],” the unidentified official said.

China regrets that the panel did not support China’s proposition on calculating the subsidy levels in its minimum procurement price policies for wheat and rice, the official said.

Agriculture is a basic industry that concerns the national economy and people’s wellbeing. It is a common practice for governments to support agriculture, ensure farmers’ incomes and safeguard grain security, and such practices are allowed under WTO rules.

China consistently respects WTO rules and will seriously evaluate the panel report and properly handle the case following WTO dispute settlement procedure, safeguard the stability of the multilateral trade mechanism and continue to push ahead with its agricultural development in lines with WTO rules, the official said.

Source: Xinhua

28/02/2019

All 56 ethnic groups part of big family of Chinese nation: Chinese ambassador

SWITZERLAND-GENEVA-UNHRC SESSION

Yu Jianhua, head of the Chinese Mission to the UN Office in Geneva, attends the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland, Feb. 27, 2019. The 56 ethnic groups in China, living together like brothers and sisters, are all parts of the big family of the Chinese nation, Yu Jianhua told the UNHRC session. “The people of all ethnic groups are tightly held together like pomegranate seeds, and together they are making arduous efforts for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation where they can all live a happy life,” Yu said, when elaborating on China’s human rights propositions and expounding achievements of the human rights undertakings in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan)

GENEVA, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) — The 56 ethnic groups in China, living together like brothers and sisters, are all part of the big family of the Chinese nation, a Chinese envoy said Wednesday at the ongoing UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session in Geneva.

“The people of all ethnic groups are tightly held together like pomegranate seeds, and together they are making arduous efforts for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation where they can all live a happy life,” said Yu Jianhua, head of the Chinese Mission to the UN Office at Geneva, when elaborating on China’s human rights propositions and expounding achievements of the human rights undertakings in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China, during the UNHRC’s 40th session.

Yu said that as unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise in today’s world, coupled with the still outstanding problem of unbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable development, it’s particularly important for countries to firmly practise multilateralism and to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.

To that end, Yu put forward China’s propositions on advancing undertakings for human rights internationally. Firstly, mutual respect should be taken as a premise, by which all countries should respect their peoples’ choice of development path for human rights.

Secondly, all countries should adhere to the principle of fairness and justice, abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each country, and oppose interference into other countries’ internal affairs under the pretext of human rights.

Thirdly, all countries should aim for win-win results through cooperation; and lastly, all countries should champion a people-centered vision and promote human rights through development.

On the topic concerning China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Chinese ambassador said that the stance adopted by some countries is biased and entirely based on misjudgment, which runs counter to facts.

He said that the Chinese government has adopted a series of anti-terrorism and de-extremization measures in Xinjiang, including the establishment of vocational training facilities, which aim to help the few people who have been influenced by extremism to get rid of their terrorist and extremist thoughts and reintegrate them into the society as soon as possible.

These measures, carried out in full accordance with the law, have greatly improved the security situation in Xinjiang and effectively safeguarded the human rights of the people of all ethnic groups and thus received sincere support from the people, Yu said.

Source: Xinhua

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