China, like-minded countries call for efforts to promote economic, social, cultural rights amid COVID-19

GENEVA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China and a group of countries on Friday called for eliminating the gap of inequality when realizing people's economic, social and cultural rights amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introducing a draft resolution on behalf of Bolivia, Egypt, Pakistan, South Africa and China at the 49th session of the Human Rights Council, China's permanent representative to the UN Office in Geneva Chen Xu said the pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges to the economic and social development of all countries, especially developing countries.

"It has further exacerbated existing inequalities within and among states, with the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights, including the rights to health, food, education and work, seriously affected," he said, adding that the pandemic has again highlighted the importance of strengthening the work on economic, social and cultural rights by multilateral human rights institutions.

The resolution stresses the importance of strengthening international cooperation to promote and protect economic, social and cultural rights and address inequalities. It requests the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to convene a workshop to discuss practical ways.

The Chinese envoy called for investing in economic, social and cultural rights. "We call on the Human Rights Council to hear the call of all countries, especially developing and least developed countries, and to respond to the aspiration of peoples of all countries, by helping people of all countries to better enjoy economic, social and cultural rights and addressing inequalities and building a better future in the recovery from the pandemic."

"It is the common aspiration of people of all countries to eliminate the gap of inequality and to benefit from the outcome of development more directly and fairly, with the realization of all human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights," Chen said.