From May 30th to 31st, the Chinese Embassy in Liberia and the UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Liberia jointly held the first National Conference on the Right to Development in Liberia. Chinese Ambassador to Liberia H.E. Ren Yisheng attended the conference and delivered opening and closing remarks. Ms. Li Xiaomei, Special Representative for Human Rights Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Professor Hu Biliang, Executive Dean of the Belt and Road School of Beijing Normal University attended and addressed the Conference via video link. Hon. Atty. Paul Harris, Special Representative of the Vice President of the Republic of Liberia H.E. Dr. Jewel Howard-Taylor, Hon. Dr. Wilhemina S. Jallah, Minister of Health, Hon. Varney A. Sirleaf, Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon. Cllr. T. Dempster Brown, Chairman of the Independent National Commission of Human Right in Liberia, and Mr. Neil Scott, the UN Resident Coordinator in Liberia attended respectively the opening and closing ceremonies and delivered speeches. More than 100 people participated offline or online, including Assistant Ministers and other government officials of Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of State, Ministry of Gender,  etc., development superintendents of 15 Liberian counties, Mr. Uchenna Emelonye, Representative of the OHCHR in Liberia, ambassadors, charge d'affaires or representatives of Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Cuba, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Sweden and other countries in Liberia, Dr. Bonny Ibhawoh, Canadian Professor of Global Human Rights and African Studies, Representatives of Chinese-funded institutions and overseas Chinese in Liberia, Council of Chiefs and Elders of Liberia, think tank scholars, civil society organizations and media representatives, etc.

At the meeting, Ambassador Ren elaborated on the Chinese government's people-centered development philosophy, prioritizing the realization of the rights to subsistence and development, the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy with Chinese characteristics, the remarkable development achievements it has made, as well as President Xi Jinping's philosophy of building a community with a shared future for mankind, the “Belt and Road” initiative, “Global Development Initiative” and “Global Security Initiative”. He shared China's active participation in international cooperation in the field of human rights, vigorous promotion of the implementation of the right to development, and China-Africa and China-Liberia friendly and pragmatic cooperation in the new era. Ambassador Ren said that in the face of changes unseen in a century and world turmoil, the international community should firmly safeguard world peace and security, create favorable conditions for the realization of the rights to subsistence and development, and promote sustainable security through sustainable development. China is willing to work together with other countries including Africa and Liberia to jointly build the “Belt and Road”, implement the “Nine Programs” of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and build a closer China-Africa and China-Liberia community with a shared future, so as to build lasting peace and common prosperity and make new and greater contributions to the world. 

Special Representative Li Xiaomei and Professor Hu Biliang elaborated respectively online on the Chinese position on human rights and the right to development and the positive achievements of “Belt and Road” international cooperation. 

In his speech, Atty. Harris, the Special Representative of the Vice President of Liberia, congratulated the Chinese Embassy in Liberia and the OHCHR for the first joint National Conference on the Right to Development in Liberia, and stressed that the conference is of great significance to promoting the realization of the right to development, development and sustainable development in Liberia and West Africa. Minister Sirleaf of Internal Affairs, Chairman Brown and others thanked China for its long-term great contributions to Liberia's peace building, economic and social development, and the fight against Ebola, COVID-19 and other epidemics, looked forward to the international community to help African countries, including Liberia, to accelerate the realization of the right to development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and expressed that Liberia is willing to strengthen cooperation with China and other international partners in such fields as infrastructure construction, rule of law, anti-corruption, agriculture, education, digital economy, health and anti-epidemic, and capacity building, so as to promote Liberia's economic and social development.

The UN Resident Coordinator and the ambassadors or representatives from the diplomatic missions said in their respective remarks that all countries should strengthen international cooperation and communication to promote the development of human rights cause including all categories of rights, the right to development and gender equality, and make contributions to world and regional peace and Liberian economic and social development. The representative of the OHCHR in Liberia thanked the Chinese side for its positive contribution to the ever first joint National Conference on the Right to Development in West Africa and even in Africa, and expected to strengthen bilateral cooperation to promote together the human rights cause in the world.

During the two day’s meeting, the participants carried out in-depth discussions on the topics of the implementation of the right to development and the relevant international cooperation, the enlightenment of China’s tremendous development achievements, the “B&R” international cooperation, anti-epidemic and other international or regional cooperation through remarks, interventions, questions and answers, and panel discussions. The conference was interactive with rounds of applause. The participants highly commended the Chinese side and the OHCHR for the first joint National Conference on the Right to Development, appreciated the development achievements of China and the fruitful outcome of China-Liberia pragmatic cooperation, and hoped to learn from China’s successful experience to promote the realization of the right to development in Liberia. 

A dozen of Liberian mainstream media outlets covered the event. Ambassador Ren took interviews from some media.