Cultural diversity is not at odds with the universality of human rights, according to experts from 26 countries attending an international symposium on oriental culture and human rights development, which closed on Wednesday in Beijing.
Common features of human rights were inherent in various cultures worldwide, said the experts who reached agreement after extensive discussions during the two-day symposium.
Dong Yunhu, Vice President and Secretary General of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, said it was a new approach to study human rights issues from historical and cultural perspectives.
Respecting the diversity of cultures and human rights will help to promote human rights development, Dong said.
Panels of experts discussed such issues as the universality of human rights and cultural diversity, and cultural and human rights issues in a globalized world.
Dr. Maria Del Carmen Herrera Caseiro, of Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Kinfe Abraham, of the Ethiopian International Institute for Peace and Development, and Patricia Thomson, of the Australian National Committee on Human Rights Education, addressed Wednesday’s closing ceremony.
Every civilization contributed to the concepts and practices of human rights, they said. Although there were widely accepted human rights principles, social and religious situations differed in various countries. It was difficult and unrealistic to standardize human rights.
The symposium was jointly organized by the China Society for Human Rights Studies and the China Foundation for Human Rights.
(Xinhua News Agency October 30, 2002)
