The seminar "Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights" is held in Beijing on December 4. (PHOTO: ZHONG Jianli/S&T Daily)

By ZHONG Jianli

"Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," a seminar in remembrance of the world's first comprehensive international statement on human rights, was held in Beijing on December 4.

The declaration, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948, contributed significantly to the progress and development of global human rights.

Over 70 experts and scholars discussed the spirit and significance of the declaration, China's concept of human rights and safeguarding them, as well as the new human rights protection issues in the digital age.

Padma Choling, president of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, said the Universal Declaration of Human Rights established the basic consensus on respecting and protecting human rights. China has always been a contributor, advocator and practitioner of the spirit of the declaration.

Zhang Wenxian, director of the Academic Committee of China Law Society, said the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping are based on common human values. They not only reflect China's human rights concepts, but also express the common aspirations of people around the world and are of great significance for building a fair, reasonable and inclusive international human rights governance system.

In today's world, with the rapid development of digital technology, the protection of digital human rights has become a global issue.

Han Xiutao, director of the Center for Sci&Tech and Human Rights Studies at the Beijing Institute of Technology, said the new technologies represented by generative AI, while facilitating people's life, were also leading to ethical risks such as privacy leakage, fake information and digital divide.

As a major country with a rapidly developing digital economy, China has always adhered to the principle of attaching equal importance to security and development in the ethical governance of digital technologies such as AI.

In 2019, China issued its new-generation AI governance principles with eight points, including respect for privacy. In July 2023, the Interim Measures for the Management of Generative AI Services was released, the world's first regulation for generative AI.

Han said China has always followed the humanistic concept of "science and technology for good" and developed AI technologies responsibly to enable a better life for people. Its solutions for human rights protection have contributed substantially to global human rights governance in today's smart digital era.