Kaiming Liu, Chine

Working Together for Human Rights Approach

Kaiming Liu, Ph. D.,

Executive Director,

The Institute of Contemporary Observation (China )

Email: info@ico-china.org

Website: www.ico-china.org

China¡¯s accession to WTO further boosts its membership status in the global family. More and more Chinese NGOs and some government officials are starting to talk about human rights issues. Although there are many challenges in the human rights approach, I have been working hard to raise the rights awareness and advocacy in grassroots. I believe the ultimate aim of development is to go up to the stage where all human rights are guaranteed and enjoyed by all the people in the world, including Chinese. To achieve this goal, we must work together to find ways of integrating human rights with different approaches.

My organization, the Institute of Contemporary Observation (ICO), was established in March 2001. As an independent non-profit civil organization, and despite the shortage of personnel and financial support, we have been actively promoting and protecting the rights of laborers from the bottom of the society, the majority of whom are migrant workers in Guangdong and Southeast China. Our main task includes the following five aspects; Investigation and research; Advocacy for human Rights; Legal Aid for migrant workers; Independent Audit for international labor standards as well as workers¡¯ awareness training.

We hope to cooperate and work together with any institution in the world to enhance human rights in China.