An international workshop on national human rights institu tion (NHRI) was held Octo ber 16-17, 2004 in the east China port city of Qingdao under the joint sponsorship of China University of Political Sciences and Law and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law of Sweden. Thirty-four experts attended the workshop. Chinese participants were from concerned central government organs, the China Soci ety for Human Rights Studies, the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, as well as some of the most prestigious universities. Foreign participants were from Sweden, Canada and South Africa. The gathering featured heated discussions on human rights prac- tices in foreign countries, the latest progress made by China in promoting human rights, and the need for China to institute NHRI and the feasibility for it to do so. Professor Brian Burdekin AO of Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law of Sweden delivered a report entitled Institutional Mechanisms to Protect Human Rights: an Overview of Recent Developments in the Asia-PacificRegion. In his opinion, the Vienna Declara-tion and Program of Action and the ParisPrinciples Relating to the Status of NationalInstitutions adopted in 1991 constitute a real-istic, effective benchmark for measuring thesuccess of national human rights institutions.He noted that in the Asia-Pacific region,there is a growing awareness of the need toestablish independent statutory organs orinstitutions to ensure realization of the vari-ous rights prescribed in international humanrights conventions. These, he said, shouldinclude not only national human rights insti-tutions but also ombudsmen and committeescharged with fighting against corruption. Hesaid in particular that national human rightsinstitutions are winning increasingly wide-spread recognition for its role in helpingoversee, promote and protect human rights. Mr. Leon Wessels, Human Rights Com-missioner of South Africa, gave an overviewof the South African Human Rights Com-mission. The commission, he said, is an inde-pendent national state institution set up underthe country's Constitution. It is charged withpromoting respect for human rights and aculture for human rights; promoting the pro-tection, development and attainment ofhuman rights; and moniting and assessingthe observance of human rights in South following topics in their debate: 1. The atti- na's legislatures, as manifested in the para-Africa. Mr. Wessels analyzed the relation- tude of the Chinese Government toward the mount importance they now attach toship of the commission with Parliament and Vienna Declaration and the Paris Princi- human rights protection. Nevertheless, theythe commission's functions. He stressed that ples; 2. The nature of NHRIs and how said, China still has the arduous task ofthe commission is still facing tremendous NHRIs are related to other state organs; 3. improving its legal system to fully guaran-challenges. The role played by NHRIs in some 50 tee the realization of the basic rights. Mr. Clare Lewis, ombudsman of countries and how they operate; and 4. How On legal supervision over human rightsOntario, Canada, and former president of differences in historic background and cul- protection, Chinese participants noted thatthe International Ombudsmen Institute, tural and legal traditions affect the establish- in China, statutory supervision by thedelivered a report entitled Propriety in Pub- ment of NHRIs and their operations. organ of state power is combined withlic Administration: the Ombudsman and Chinese participants agreed that in responsibility of the government for theHuman Rights. He held that governments recent years, China has made important organ of the state power, supervision by theshould set up the Ombudsman or similar progress in human rights protection. To be ruling party with supervision by superviso-systems to handle complaints from the gen- specific, they argued, progress
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