COMMITTEE: United Nations Human Rights Council

COUNTRY: People’s Republic of China

TOPIC A: Freedom of Press and the Right to Information

The core values of freedom, equality and social justice upon which China built itself were once a
tiny spark that have now grown into a wildfire catapulting this great nation into the limelight.
China was the first signatory to the United Nations Charter in 1945 and its commitment to the
UN has been unwavering. In the last 5 decades, China has managed to convert its agrarian
economy into a mega-industrial one, lifting over 750 million people out of absolute poverty,
promoting urbanization and human resource development in the process. The UN development
agency in China has played a key role in this rapid transformation.

In the modern, fast-paced world of today the press and media play a highly influential role.
Article 35 of the constitution of the People’s Republic of China states that citizens of China
enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of
demonstration.
However, the idea of “absolute press freedom” is highly utopian. Every nation today has
regulations on the production of news as well as limits on the freedom of speech. The notion of a
‘free press’ is used more commonly as a destabilization tool to carry out political agendas and as
an excuse for breaking laws rather than a beacon for true journalism.
Around the world today, spread of disinformation and hate speech are invoked in the name of a
“free press” posing a dire threat to the stability and security of whole nations.
The scope of Internet access to the general public increases the probabilities of this threat to
become a reality. Therefore, just as a government works to protect national security, it should
work towards cyber security as well.

In China, there are several laws and policies considering this such as the 2010 White paper on
Internet in China and the 2002 Public Pledge on Self-discipline for China’s Internet Industry.
The decision to filter certain websites and outlets by the Ministry of Public Security has
protected civilians from false information and the country from social instability and more
importantly provides a platform for domestic Chinese technology companies like WeChat and
Weibo to grow and flourish. The government has invested highly in the ‘Golden Shield Project’
to strengthen cyber sovereignty and surveillance of the nation.

During the pandemic, spread of false rumors discrediting the threat of the virus and wrong
information about the vaccines was and still is at an all-time high. In the first 3 months of 2020,
nearly 6000 people around the globe were hospitalized because of coronavirus misinformation
according to the WHO. This calls for a greater vigilance on internet content to avoid unnecessary
panic and confusion. China’s cybersecurity laws and policies cater to this issue and has played a
pivotal role in the battle against the pandemic.

Even though the Right to Information is not a constitutional right, China has taken several steps
to ensure that citizens have access to a transparent government. In 2008, China adopted the Open
Government Information Regulations which promotes the legality of governmental bodies and
assists socio-economic development. Under these regulations, Information on matters of vital
public interest such as government structure, education policies, emergency planning, public
health, drug safety, government programs, urban and rural planning etc. are made available to the
public. Moreover, Citizens have the provision to submit a request justifying the purpose for the
disclosure of more information from governmental agencies.
Over the past decade Chinese Law and Policy has seen additions like the Role of the Communist
Party in Further Promoting Open Government Affairs (2005), Measures on Open Environmental
Information (2008), and Improving the Work of Disclosing Government Information Upon
Request (2010). More than 30 provinces and municipalities in China have adopted some kind of
right to information laws. The municipality of Guangzhou was the first to do so in 2002,
followed by Shanghai in 2004.

The delegate of the People’s Republic of China firmly believes that cyber sovereignty is the
sovereignty and dignity of all countries, whether big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, must
be respected, their internal affairs allow no interference, and they have the right to independently
choose their social system and development path.

BIBLIOGRAPHY :

http://www.un.org.cn/info/6/1168.html
https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/09/01/china-great-firewall-changing-generation
https://www.article19.org/resources/country-report-the-right-to-information-in-china/
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/media-censorship-china
COMMITTEE: United Nations Human Rights Council
COUNTRY: People’s Republic of China
SCHOOL: Indian School Muscat
DELEGATE NAME: Rebecca Magdalene D’Souza

TOPIC B: Deliberating and Combating the Gender Gap

“Women hold up half the sky”, said Mao Zedong, founder of the People’s Republic of China.
Women in both urban and rural workforces have played a highly important role in China’s
economic evolution. However, even today women face the brunt of discrimination and continue
to live in a patriarchal context that often undermines their rights.
China ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women in 1980 and the Beijing Plan for Action in 1995. Women’s development was included in
China's 10th, 11th and 12th five-year plans for economic and social development, entailing
clearer goals, and more effective measures for promoting development between women and
China' s economy and society.

Equality between men and women is a basic state policy and a guaranteed right in the
constitution. The Chinese government has been taking relentless steps to improve legal policies
to protect and foster women’s rights. In 1990, the State Council established the National
Working Committee on Children and Women (NWCCW), which has been commissioned to
organize, supervise and urge departments concerned in promoting gender equality and women's
development. The Chinese government also recognizes and supports the role of non-
governmental organizations (NGOs) in this regard. The All-China Women's Federation (ACWF)
is the largest NGO in China dedicated to promoting gender equality and women's development.
The level of women’s participation in government affairs has also increased over the last 3
decades. In 2020, over 25% of the Parliament was comprised of women. Moreover, legal
frameworks like the ‘Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women’ and the ‘Outline
for the Development of Chinese Women’ clearly defines the specific goals to be reached for
women participants in government work.

The government makes great efforts to eliminate gender disparities in the educational
environment. In China, women enjoy the same rights and opportunities as men to receive
education. Such rights and opportunities are clearly defined in China's Education Law,
Compulsory Education Law and Vocational Education Law. Official government data show that
there are more female than male students in Chinese universities.
China has closed the gender education gap with both sexes achieving universal literacy in urban
areas after imposing a nine-year compulsory education policy.

Employment and a steady income are vital to maintain the quality of life. The Employment
Promotion Law has a chapter specially dealing with fair employment, emphasizing gender
equality in employment rights. The Labor Contract Law of the People' s Republic of China has
clear provisions under which businesses are required to create collective contracts for protecting
female workers' rights. The private sector in China is an emerging partner for promoting
women’s economic rights and sustainable development.
Women in China today still earn lower wages than their counterparts. Positively, as a result of
women taking up more management roles in the STEM field, there has been a 5% decrease in the
pay gap in the last 3 years.
Today women comprise of 50% of China’s employed workforce. Government data show
that women set up 55% of new internet companies in China and more than a quarter of all
entrepreneurs are women.

China supports the United Nations (UN) in making women's development a priority to make
women-related targets early harvest results of its 2030 Agenda. UN Women has been carrying
out its operations in China since 1998. UN Women, through its Fund for Gender Equality, has
partnered with the All-China Women’s Federation to undertake activities to promote both
oversight and impact of Chinese women’s political participation under the ‘Equal Political
Participation for Chinese Women’ programme. This programme is a source of support for the
government in achieving its goals on women’s political development.

Our global community still has a long way to go and needs to work diligently to build a world in
which women are free from discrimination and barriers on development. China will continue to
improve and strengthen its efforts to uphold women’s rights
The delegate of the People’s Republic of China believes that women are an important force
driving social development and progress in the modern world.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
http://www.china-un.ch/eng/rqrd/jblc/t210715.htm
https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/countries/china/about-un-women-china
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-10/01/c_139412800.htm
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/11/chinese-women-are-closing-the-gender-gap-heres-
how/