THE 2026 Forum on Global Human Rights Governance opened in Beijing on Thursday.

The two-day forum brought together hundreds of officials, experts and representatives from around the world to discuss the role of development in advancing human rights.

The Communist Party of China central committee’s publicity department head Li Shulei delivered a keynote speech to more than 400 Chinese and international guests from over 100 countries, as well as representatives from the United Nations and other international and regional organisations.

Held on the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development, the forum focused on the theme of promoting human rights through development.

The event also saw the release of the National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2026-30), which outlines China’s strategy for the next five years.

Mr Li highlighted that as China advances modernisation, “it has consistently enhanced human rights protection and made historic progress in promoting human rights.”

Participants also called on all countries to work together to advance the development of human rights globally by building a community with a shared future for humanity.

The gathering was arranged into five subforums to discuss topics including the human rights implications of China’s Global Governance Initiative, the right to development in the AI era, modernisation and people’s development and the significance of sustainable development for human rights, according to an earlier announcement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Li Changlin, professor at the Human Rights Research Institute in the South-west University of Political Science and Law, said: “Over the past decades, China has pursued a development-centred approach to human rights, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.”

He added that this had helped “China establish the world’s largest education, social security and healthcare systems.”