By Gerald Mbanda

The 2026 Forum on Global Human Rights Governance opened today in Beijing, bringing together hundreds of delegates from countries around the world.

The two-day conference, hosted by the State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, was officially opened by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Miao Deyu.

In his opening remarks, China’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized that no country should impose its development model on others. Each country has the right to determine its own development path.

China has put forward the Global Development Initiative as a platform for cooperation without discrimination. He noted that cooperation in eliminating development challenges is essential for world progress.

Delegates from around the world united for human rights and development ( photo credit Gerald MBANDA )

The Vice President of the Republic of The Gambia, Mr. Mohammed B.S. Jallow, in his opening speech emphasized that human rights and development go hand in hand. Jallow praised the cooperation between African countries and China in advancing development in various fields, including environmental protection and climate change.

After the plenary session, delegates will exchange views on the following themes in five parallel sessions:

The Human Rights Implications of Global Governance

The Role and Significance of the Right to Development in the Evolution of Global Human Rights

Safeguarding the Right to Development in the Age of AI: Emerging Challenges and Opportunities

Green Development and the Protection of Human Rights

Modernization and People’s Free and Comprehensive Development

The conference convenes as the world commemorates the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Right to Development. The Declaration, adopted by the United Nations in 1986, emphasizes that every person and all peoples are entitled to participate in, contribute to, and enjoy economic, social, cultural, and political development.

Gerald Mbanda is a researcher and publisher on China-Africa Cooperation and development.