Incorporating Responsibility: 2008



	Shi Tao


	Illegally providing state secrets


	November 23, 2014

HRIC Trends Bulletin on "China's Environment and Situation of Water"

HRIC Statement for Tibetan Uprising Day: "March 10: Out of Exile, Into the Streets!"

Where's Hu Now?: Let your voice be heard on Hu Jintao's U.S. visit

HRIC Comments on HR 4780: Global Online Freedom Act of 2006

Li Zhi Appellate Ruling: English translation

HRIC Testimony to "Monitoring Respect for Human Rights"

Articles Alert: Feb 2006

HRIC Trends Bulletin: Media Crackdowns in China

HRIC Testimony to "Internet in China" Congressional Hearing


		Change text size		Print this page

AT A GLANCE

Windows of Opportunity

Measuring Progress

Targeting a Range of Actors
	The Chinese Government
	Corporations
	National Governments
	NGOs and Civil Society
	The International Olympics Committee (IOC)

Activities
	Monitoring the PRC and Beijing
	Monitoring Business
	International Advocacy
	Civil Society Dialogue

HRIC Olympics Campaign:
Incorporating Responsibility 2008
[Compiled in September 2005]

In the run up to the 2008 Olympics, Human Rights in China's Olympics Campaign is an integrated research and monitoring project targeting a range of actors to advocate scrutiny of the Chinese government's human rights practices.

Windows of Opportunity

Since its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, China has continued to integrate into the international political and economic community. Serious human rights concerns remain, however, and human rights defenders such as journalists, lawyers, religious leaders, health activists and others are increasingly detained in an effort to silence a growing civil society. As host of the 2008 Olympic Games, China hopes to seize the opportunity to show the world its image as an increasingly prominent player. A symbol of friendship, peace and fair play,[1] the 2008 Olympic Games also present a strategic opportunity to the international community to advocate for greater respect for human rights in China.

Measuring Progress

HRIC seeks to promote progress on three specific benchmarks:

	Release of all political prisoners;
	Removal of censorship and surveillance of the Internet; and
	Greater investment in social welfare to ensure equitable development.

HRIC monitors progress made under these three benchmarks as they seek to promote and respect freedom of expression and information, civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights. Progress will be analyzed in light of individual cases of abuse, such as the detention or release of an Internet activist, and areas of pervasive systematic concern, such as the continued closure of politically unpopular Web sites.

Targeting a Range of Actors

The Olympics brings together different actors all of whom have a stake in promoting a successful, peaceful Olympics, including corporations, multilaterals, the media, governments, NGOs, and the International Olympics Committee. These actors can also play a role in advocating greater respect for human rights in the Olympics host country.

The Chinese Government
As host of the Games, the PRC has obligations under international law, and also a set of specific targets under the Beijing Olympic Action Plan that include commitments to freedom of the press and investment in healthcare. As part of its Olympics Campaign, HRIC monitors and analyses the PRC's progress in implementing its obligations. In particular, HRIC will continue to monitor:

	Evictions undertaken in the course of Olympic venue construction and the ability of individuals evicted to seek and receive compensation;
	Detentions of journalists reporting on politically unpopular subjects who take advantage of their fundamental human right to freedom of expression;
	Provision of national budgetary allocations to improving education and healthcare.

Corporations
As Olympic sponsors, HRIC monitors the activities of corporate partners, including their sponsorship of or investment in specific aspects of the Games. HRIC calls on the business community to implement and monitor their human rights obligations, and analyses the potential or actual human rights impact that these activities have in China, including:

	Labor rights standards observed in the construction of Olympics venues;
	Investment in security systems that have the potential not only to protect athletes and dignitaries, but to monitor and censor the activities of individuals acting peacefully.

National governments
Governments in the international community who send teams to the Olympic Games should ensure that the Olympics remain an international symbol of peace and fair play. HRIC calls on national governments to advocate for the coherent implementation of the international legal system by urging China to make progress on the three benchmarks set by HRIC, including by raising the individual cases of human rights abuse with the PRC.

NGOs and Civil Society
HRIC invites NGOs and members of civil society in China and internationally to work with HRIC in monitoring and reporting on key areas of human rights concern, in particular with respect to HRIC's benchmarks of progress in the run up to the Olympics. This includes advocating for the release of human rights defenders, including journalists and lawyers.

The International Olympics Committee (IOC)
As the overseer for the Olympic Games, HRIC calls on the IOC to monitor the work of the Beijing Organizing Committee as well as construction of Olympic venues and local preparation for the Games.

Activities

As part of the Olympics Campaign, HRIC provides updates and analyses on Olympic sponsors, venue construction, and implementation of the PRC's promises with respect to the Games. HRIC will continue to monitor developments as well as provide updates regarding progress under the campaign's three benchmarks. As an integrated part of its program and media work, HRIC will increasingly engage in preparatory briefings for actors engaging with China, raising the Olympic Games as a strategic opportunity for emphasizing human rights concerns, as well as an important benchmarks in China's progress in implementing its human rights obligations.

The following is a detailed description of the activities HRIC has undertaken as part of its Olympics Campaign to date:

Monitoring the PRC and Beijing
HRIC's research and advocacy programs monitor the PRC's implementation of its international human rights obligations. In advance of the 2008 Olympics, HRIC has monitored actual and potential human rights abuses directly related to preparation for the Games.

	Analysis of PRC obligations: HRIC has developed a comprehensive framework of the Chinese government's international human rights obligations. These obligations take into account not only international human rights law and standards, but also comprises Conventions of the International Labour Organisation, obligations as a member of the WTO, and standards it must adhere to as a member of international processes, including the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS);
	Analysis of PRC promises: In an Olympics Update provided in the China Rights Forum (CRF), HRIC provided an analysis of the principles that the Chinese government and the Beijing Organizing Committee adhered to in its Olympic Action Plan. HRIC's analysis compared the standards that Beijing agreed to in 2002, to the reality that has been recorded since that time;
	Monitoring events in Beijing: In addition to analysis of standards, HRIC has monitored preparations for the Games in Beijing, providing updates on potential and actual human rights violations during events specifically related to the Olympics, including: Evictions during site preparation for venues; Labor rights violations during venue construction; Arrests during Olympics-related protests; and Embezzlement by officials of funds intended for Olympics construction.
	Review & recommendation: HRIC has provided concrete recommendations that aim to improve the implementation and protection of human rights and transparency in governance and event preparation. Recommendations are directed at the Chinese government, the Beijing Organizing Committee, the International Olympic Committee and international organizations.

Monitoring Business
To contribute to a comprehensive picture of the actors involved in the 2008 Olympics, HRIC monitors corporations sponsoring the Games or constructing venues.

	Olympic sponsor monitoring: In the CRF, HRIC has provided a number of Updates on corporate involvement in the Olympics. Updates provide a review of the dollar amounts of sponsorship, corporate profiles of the sponsors, and a human rights review of those corporations' responsibilities. Corporate sponsors of the Olympics include: Olympic Partner Programme (TOP) Sponsors: TOP Sponsors are corporations that sponsor the Games each year regardless of the location. TOP sponsors include Coca Cola, and MacDonalds Corporation; Beijing 2008 Sponsors: The Chinese Olympic Committee has developed partnership programs of varying amounts with domestic and international corporations;
	Venue construction and contract monitoring: HRIC has also monitored and provided updates on the contracts for venue and site construction and environmental projects in preparation for the Games. HRIC updates readers on contract dollar amounts, as well as progress of construction. In addition, HRIC has monitored construction projects specifically with regard to human rights impact, including labor and housing rights violations.
	Infrastructure Investment: HRIC has monitored the heavy investment in and construction of the transportation and security infrastructure in Beijing. Corporate sponsorship has been critical in particular for the construction of a high tech state of the arts security system, to be utilized by government authorities. HRIC has provided analysis regarding the potential human rights impact of the technology on Beijing, both during and after the Olympics in 2008.
	Review & recommendation: HRIC reviews the activities of corporations involved in the Olympics, analyses those corporations' human rights responsibilities, and makes concrete recommendations based on: The actual or potential human rights abuse related to the corporations' Olympics involvement; Corporate or industry policies and codes of conduct; and International human rights and labor law and standards.

International Advocacy
HRIC aims to promote a comprehensive and coherent international legal framework, and as such, at international advocacy events, HRIC aims to draw important linkages between the PRC's international responsibilities and obligations, including the obligation to host an international event without a detrimental impact on human rights. Examples of the way HRIC has promoted the Olympics in its advocacy work include:

	Individual case advocacy: Information received by HRIC that has a direct link to the Olympics in 2008, for example the detention of an individual simply for advocating for a cleaner environment, is contrasted with the PRC's obligations under international law and promises to host a "Green Olympics";
	Advocacy within targeted international arenas: In presentations on the PRC's human rights obligations with regard to issues as diverse as press freedom, healthcare and education, HRIC draws relevant links to the hosting of the Olympics, but also urges academics, the business sector, NGOs, policy makers, and governments to use the Olympics as an opportunity to push for change on that issue.

Civil society dialogue
All members of society have a stake in promoting international events that respect human rights. HRIC regularly works with other NGOs to raise the issue of the 2008 Olympics at a variety of events. In addition, HRIC has sponsored discussions on how best to use the Olympics as a force for the promotion of human rights. This discussion, which included NGO representatives, academics and policy workers, explored effective strategies on how to use the Olympics as a powerful international symbol to promote respect for human rights.

//

ENDNOTES

[1] http://www.olympicspirit.org.

//