Is there a universal definition of human rights? Yes and no. Even the widely agreed upon document on human rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN General Assembly during its 183rd plenary meeting in Paris, France, in December 1948, contains diverse understandings of the concept as it was drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world.

On September 20 this year, more than 130 human rights experts, as well as officials and representatives from governments, political parties and social organizations, attended the China-Europe Seminar on Human Rights in Rome, Italy, themed Modernization and the Diversity of Human Rights Among Civilizations. At the event, participants called for joint efforts to promote global human rights governance through cooperation and dialogue.

"At a time of tension in international relations, it is apparent that there are efforts being made to weaponize the human rights debate," Neil Davidson, Labour member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom, said at the seminar.

"Building mutual respect is one step to reducing rising tensions in today's world," Davidson said, continuing he believes the policy of one society is unlikely to apply to another society with different priorities, traditions, history and cultures. He also added that "discussion on human rights, with the objective of mutual understanding between countries, can only serve to improve relations."

Respect for diversity

In today's multipolar world, some countries are politicizing and weaponizing human rights issues to force their values on others, according to Fabio Marcelli, former Director of the Institute of International Legal Studies at Italy's National Research Council. What's behind this phenomenon is Westcentrism, he added.

In some places, people are educated to believe that the only legitimate system is the Western system, and that many other systems are not acceptable, Marek Traczyk, Chairman of the Warsaw Chamber of Commerce and Polish Media Association, said. He pointed out "no matter how different our clothes or food are, our ultimate goal is achieving happiness and sharing it with families and friends."

Davidson said certain sections in the UK's political parties have been particularly vocal in their use of human rights criticisms to attack other states' political parties. "In the case of the UK, one does not need a deep understanding of history to reflect that the history of the British Empire reveals case after case of the destruction of the human rights of peoples across the world," he said.

The outcomes have been harsh in cases where societies lacked or didn't have mutual respect. The enslavement of the African peoples, the Holocaust and the Opium War in 1840, which marked the beginning of Western colonial powers' expansion in China, all display one commonality: an aggressive lack of respect based on an assumption of a superiority of one set of people over others, Davidson said, adding, in contrast, exchanges and learning based on the recognition of the worth of the other have produced enduring benefits.

Dialogues in demand

The world has entered a new turbulent period and global governance on human rights is facing severe threats with entrenched problems, including war, hunger and terrorism, remaining unsolved, Padma Choling, President of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, said at the seminar. He continued that a Cold War mentality, hegemonism, unilateral sanctions and the weaponization of human rights issues have undermined global human rights governance.

"A discussion based on mutual respect allows all parties to understand why different societies have adopted different approaches to human rights," Davidson said.

The concept of human rights in China, built upon its rich traditional culture and emphasizing mutual respect, trust, appreciation and learning, holds important insights and lessons for the development of human rights both within China and globally, Su Faxiang, a human rights researcher from the Minzu University of China, said.

Oliviero Diliberto, former Italian Minister of Justice and Dean of the Faculty of Law at Sapienza University of Rome, said Italy and China enjoy close relations as they recognize and respect differences between their civilizations and cultures, seek common ground and have a common goal of cooperation.

In his video message, Diliberto also praised the fruitful academic exchanges and cooperation in law between Italy and China in recent years, which he said functioned as a bridge between civilizations to foster dialogue.

Chinese and foreign scholars discussing human rights in Rome—a place of significance for Western civilization and a city where cultures have converged and flourished for many centuries—can also help more people to understand the essence of human rights under the view of the development of all humanity, Zhang Yonghe, Executive Director of the Human Rights Institute of China's Southwest University of Political Science and Law, said.

"Rome was not built in a day and human rights development cannot be completed in one night. It needs persistent efforts," Padma Choling said while welcoming other delegates to visit China to take a closer look at its human rights development. 

China emphasizes that building a community with a shared future for humanity is not about replacing one system or civilization with another, according to Robert Walker, associate fellow and emeritus professor at the Department of Social Policy and Intervention at the University of Oxford. Instead, it is about countries with different social systems, ideologies, histories, cultures and levels of development coming together for shared interests, shared rights and shared responsibilities in global affairs, and creating the greatest synergy for building a better world, he said.

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson

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