Human Rights Technical Cooperation Program (HRTC)

Objectives: The HRTC strengthens the administration, promotion and protection of human rights in China, by assisting in three thematic areas: legal reform, women's and children's rights and ethnic and minority rights. The program promotes the universality and indivisibility of human rights through a range of activities involving Chinese and Australian academics, police, prosecutors, judges and other officials including those responsible for promoting and protecting the rights of women and minorities.

Australian Contribution: A$1-2 million annually

Duration: 1997 - ongoing

Location: China Project Components The HRTC activities, each of small scale and generally of relatively short duration, focus on three main theme areas: (i) legal reform, (ii) women’s and children’s rights; and (iii) ethnic and minority rights.

Outcomes: HRTC activities touch on a very broad expanse of Chinese human rights activity. Despite its relatively modest size, the program is both vertically extensive in that it works at many levels within Chinese society, and horizontally extensive in that it crosses many sectors. This has not prevented the program from establishing clear themes and common attributes for all activities. These include:

all activities are underpinned by the belief that cooperation is the key to progress
each activity involves working directly with a key Chinese organisation in a position to effect practical change
each activity attempts to bring to bear the ‘best’ Australian expertise and practice
each activity incorporates objectives on two levels: immediate, albeit modest, impact and longer term change.

Achievements: A significant trend in the HRTC Program has been the increasing geographical spread of its activities. In the early days, most HRTC activities were concentrated in the capital and surrounding regions. Over time, efforts have been made to spread the benefits of the program more widely, through the implementation of training programs and other activities in provincial locations. Another positive trend has been an increase, albeit cautious, in multi-agency collaboration by PRC agencies in implementation of program activities.

HRTC is a concrete manifestation of the commitment of the two Governments to work towards improvements in the administration, promotion and protection of human rights in China. Individual activities focus on practical measures to achieve these ends. The entire program is fundamentally underpinned by the view that by working together and by exchanging views and approaches, the most effective elements of human rights protection, promotion and administration will develop and prosper.

Managing Contractor: Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission

Team Leader:

Mr Bill Kennedy
Director International Program
Email: billkennedy@humanrights.gov.au

Chinese Counterparts:

Ms Dong Zhihua
Director, Human Rights Division,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Tel: 8610 65963131,
Fax: 86 10 65963130

AusAID Contact:

Mr Ma Zhigang
Senior Program Officer,
No 21, Dong Zhi Men Wai Dajie, Beijing, PRC
Phone: +86 10 51404395
Fax: +86 10 5140 4199
Email: zhigang.ma@dfat.gov.au

August 2007