HUMAN RIGHTS CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAMME IN CHINA 2008-2010

Upon the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC, RWI initiated cooperation with institutions in China in the mid-1990s. Between 1996 and 2000, RWI held human rights training courses for groups of high-level representatives in various fields, including police officials, prosecutors, judges and prison officials responsible for the administration of justice. At the same time, exchange and cooperation with academic institutions developed. With the establishment of its office in Beijing in 2001, RWI began implementing a more comprehensive programme of sustained support to Chinese academia and the Chinese prosecution service. In 2004, activities in support of the promotion of the establishment of a National Human Rights Institution were initiated in cooperation with China University of Political Science and Law.

Key results in recent years include the establishment and operation of a Research Direction in Human Rights for master students – the first of its kind in China – at Peking University Law School, the successful incorporation of international human rights law into the curricula at the National Prosecutors’ College, the completion of a set of guidelines on police-prosecutor coordination aimed at strengthening human rights protection in criminal proceedings in Haidian District in Beijing, and the development of a proposal for a law to establish a National Human Rights Institution in China.

Currently, RWI is implementing a three year (2008-2010) human rights capacity development programme in China, aiming at:

• Increasing the quality and quantity of human rights education and research at academic institutions in China,

• Strengthening the procuratorate’s capacity to perform its duties in accordance with human rights standards, and

• Promoting the establishment of a National Human Rights Institution in China.

The current areas of cooperation and corresponding activities are summarized below.

Support to the Research Direction in Human Rights for Master Students at Peking University Law School

Peking University Law School Research Centre for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RCHR) and RWI launched a three-semester Research Direction in Human Rights for master students at Peking University in 2004. Four groups of students have graduated from the programme so far, with a fifth group enrolled in February 2008. In cooperation with RCHR, RWI seeks to increase the efficiency and sustainability of the programme by focusing on strengthening the capacity of RCHR to administer and carry out human rights education programmes and related activities.

Institutional Support to Universities in West China

To further develop human rights capacity at academic institutions, RWI supports efforts at Yunnan University, Inner Mongolia University and other select universities in West China to enhance teaching, research and curricula. For this support, RWI draws upon the strengthened capacity and cooperation of universities elsewhere in China that the Institute has supported in previous years, for instance by enabling teachers from western universities to attend the Research Direction in Human Rights at Peking University Law School.

National Human Rights Education Annual Meeting

To increase opportunities for Chinese human rights teachers to share information and initiate joint cooperation in the area of human rights, RWI supports an annual meeting of Chinese human rights teachers in cooperation with Chinese partners, the Danish Institute for Human Rights and the Norwegian Center for Human Rights (NCHR).

Promoting Multidisciplinary Human Rights Research

Building upon prior successful seminars, workshops are organised in cooperation with Shanghai Jiaotong University Law School and NCHR with the aim of compiling a collection of analytical articles multidisciplinary human rights research.

Translation, Production and Acquisition of Human Rights Literature

RWI continues work to increase the number of high quality human rights texts available to Chinese students, teachers and legal professionals in their native language by translating and/or producing human rights material. In partnership with NCHR and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Institute of Law, translated literature to date include Askin K and Koenig D (eds) Women and International Human Rights Law (vol.1 and 2); Nowak M UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights CCPR - A Commentary; and Myjer E, Hancock B & Cowdery N (eds) Human Rights Manual for Prosecutors. In addition, RWI has supported publication of the first comprehensive human rights case law book in Chinese.

Support to the National Prosecutor College and Provincial Prosecutor Training Institutions

Building on previous successful cooperation with the National Prosecutor College (NPrC) in Beijing, RWI and NPrC currently seeks to develop human rights capacity, primarily, Hohhot (Inner Mongolia autonomous region), Xi’an (Shaanxi province) and Kunming (Yunnan province) by way of training trainers and providing basic teaching facilities, books and materials including a textbook to be developed by the NPrC.

Implementation of Prosecutor-Police Guidelines in Haidian District

RWI continues cooperation with Haidian District People’s Procuratorate (HDPP) to implement and disseminate guidelines developed to improve coordination between prosecutors and police aimed at strengthening human rights protection in Haidian district in Beijing as well as to explore ways to reduce pre-trial detention. The activities seek to provide best practice examples regarding the application of human rights principles to the Chinese justice system and encourage greater cross-agency and stakeholder-inclusive cooperation within the justice sector.

Support to the Establishment of a National Human Rights Institution

In cooperation with China University of Political Science and Law, RWI continues work to promote the establishment of a National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) in China building upon the success of prior activities in this area. Activities focus on awareness raising (dissemination and dialogue) and the provision of technical advice. In both areas, activities aim at sustaining the process of setting up a NHRI in China by increasing the likelihood that a draft law establishing a NHRI is adopted and, once a law is adopted, strengthening capacity to develop a credible and independent institution.

The RWI programme in China is financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

For more information on RWI’s activities in China, please contact RWI’s office in Beijing.

Address: 14th Floor, Tower A, Pacific Century Place, 2A Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100027, P.R. China
Phone number: +86 10 6539 1066
Fax number: +86 10 6539 1060
Ms. Malin Oud, Programme Manager, Head of Office
Ms. Wang Xin, Programme Officer
Ms. Chen Ting Ting, Programme Assistant