By He Yin, People’s Daily
The General Debate of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly concluded onon Sept. 29. Marking the 80th anniversary of the organization, this year’s theme – “Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights” – underscores the global aspiration for peace and development, fairness and justice, democracy and freedom.
In his speech at the General Debate of the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly in September 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the idea of “common values of humanity” for the first time to the world.
“Peace, development, equality, justice, democracy and freedom are common values of all humankind and the lofty goals of the United Nations,” Xi said. “Yet these goals are far from being achieved; therefore we must continue our endeavors.”
Since then, Xi has on many occasions emphasized the importance of promoting the common values of humanity, advancing a series of new ideas and proposals that offer strong intellectual guidance for building a community with a shared future for humanity.
Over the past decade, this vision has drawn strong appeal across cultural and national boundaries, establishing a broad consensus on core human values. As the world enters a new period of turbulence and transformation, marked by persistent global challenges, the need for common values becomes more urgent. Some countries remain obsessed with the law of the jungle and the practice of the strong bullying the weak, pursuing power politics and zero-sum competition, which have further exacerbated global instability and inequality.
In the face of profound changes unseen in a century and the pressing challenges of the time, the common values of humanity embrace the diversity of civilizations and respect the paths chosen by people of different countries. They reaffirm that peace and development are universal goals, fairness and justice are common ideals, and that democracy and freedom are collective aspirations. These principles provide essential moral guidance for addressing global challenges.
The growing international consensus reflects the strength and relevance of these values. As global challenges become increasingly complex, there is broad recognition that they require collective wisdom and coordinated action. Many argue that achieving world peace hinges on unity, cooperation, mutual understanding, and respect among nations. Others emphasize that only by deepening friendship and understanding can the international community achieve peace, stability, and development.
An increasing number of global voices have come to recognize that peace and development are the only viable path out of conflict and confrontation and the foundation of global security. Fairness and justice are essential to narrowing development disparities and protecting the rights and interests of the Global South, Meanwhile, democracy and freedom are prerequisites for enhancing mutual learning among civilizations and ensuring equal development for all.
Facts have proven that only by upholding the right values can humanity pave the way for win-win cooperation and shared prosperity.
China is a firm advocate and active practitioner of the common values of humanity. Guided by the global vision of the Communist Party of China, the country has proposed the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilizations Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative. It has been upholding true multilateralism, advancing the building of an open world economy, promoting greater democracy in international relations, facilitating exchanges and mutual learning among diverse civilizations, and working to make global governance fairer and more equitable.
Through its proposals and actions, China has not only contributed its wisdom but also demonstrated its sense of mission as a responsible major country. These efforts have illuminated the bright prospects of the common values of humanity.
Committed to the future of humanity and the well-being of all people, China stands ready to work with the international community to firmly promote the common values of humanity and to advance the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.
