The 2024 China-Central Asia Forum on Human Rights Development was held in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan from May 28 to 29. Sponsored by the China Foundation for Human Rights Development (CFHRD), the forum was titled "Building a Community with a Shared Future for China and Central Asia: A New Vision for Human Rights Development". Hundreds of officials, heads of research institutions, experts and scholars in the field of human rights from China and Central Asia countries attended.

Zuo Feng, vice president and secretary general of the CFHRD, presided over the forum and delivered a speech. As developing countries and members of “Global South”, China and Central Asian countries share common tasks like economic growth and improvement of people's livelihoods, and hold similar views on human rights issues, Zuo said.

Upholding the principle of building a community with a shared future for mankind in human rights development, China and Central Asian countries are dedicated to enhancing the representation and voice of developing countries in the international human rights system and to steering global human rights governance toward greater fairness, justice, equity and inclusiveness, he added.

Turgunov Murodjon Tursunbaevich, director of the Institute of State and Law of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, said the strategic partnership between Central Asia and China is based on equality, mutual trust, mutual benefit, win-win and shared vision for sustainable development. The cooperation has brought valuable opportunities for human rights protection, people's well-being and economic growth of Central Asia.

The forum is an important platform for all participants to share their experience of human rights protection and increase efficiency of solving human rights issues. The Tajikistani government attaches great importance to human rights protection and is willing to improve its own human rights protection system through international cooperation, said Parwez Olimzoda, chief expert of human rights protection bureau of the Office of the President of Tajikistan.

Experts from the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, the National Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyzstan, and the National Center for Human Rights of Uzbekistan and other research institutions held discussions on common development and human rights protection, mutual learning among civilizations and human rights progress as well as other topics. Participants also visited sites of key projects of China-Kazakhstan production capacity and investment cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

According to the CFHRD, the forum is part of efforts to implement outcomes from the China-Central Asia Summit. The first China-Central Asia Forum on Human Rights Development was held in Beijing in September 2023, establishing a rotating mechanism among China and Central Asian countries. The Astana event marks the second forum under this framework.