The COVID-19is a global catastrophe that has a huge and lasting impact on the right to life and health. Organized by the China Society for Human Rights Studies and the Italian magazine World China, and hosted by the Institute of Human Rights of Southwest University of Political Science and Law and the Chongqing Yige Center for Social Development, the 2021-European Seminar on Human Rights was held on June 8. The theme of this sixth seminar is The New Pneumonia Epidemic and the Right to Life and Health, with separate main venues in Chongqing, China and Rome, Italy. Professor Gong Xianghe, Executive Director of the Human Rights Research Institute of Southeast University and Professor of the Law School, Ms. Zhang Xuelian, Director of the Office of the Human Rights Research Institute, and doctoral student Gao Yike were invited to attend this conference.

More than 180 guests attended the seminar, including representatives from the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the Supreme People's Court, the Central Propaganda Department, the China Society for Human Rights Studies, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Civil Affairs, representatives from international organizations such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and dignitaries from nearly 20 European countries such as France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands and Russia. Representatives of dignitaries, experts and scholars in the field of human rights from nearly 20 European countries, as well as members of the business, legal, literary and media sectors, representatives and experts from 12 national human rights education and training bases, including Southeast University, Nankai University, Wuhan University, Shandong University, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Beijing University of Technology, Central South University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Northwest University of Political Science and Law.

Comrades Xiangba Pingtsuo, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress and President of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, Jiang Jianguo, Vice Minister of the Central Propaganda Department, Li Junru, Vice President of the China Society for Human Rights Studies and former Vice President of the Central Party School, Li Junhua, Ambassador of the Chinese Embassy in Italy, Zhang Ming, Member of the Standing Committee of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee and Minister of the Propaganda Department, as well as Ms. Shiaimi Puvimanasin, Officer of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Shiaimi Puvimanasin, UN Economic, Social and Cultural Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Mr. Aslan Abashidze Mr. Abashidze, Director of the Non-Communicable Diseases Department of the WHO, Ms. Bennett Mikkelsen, Director of the Prime Minister's Office of Italy, and Mr. Aslan Abashidze. Ms. Bente Michelson, Director of the Department of Non-communicable Diseases of WHO, Mr. Carlo Capri, International Cooperation Expert, Representative of the Italian Prime Minister's Office, Mr. Lazio Lazio, Italy Mr. Emiliano Minucci, Member of the Regional Government of Lazio and Member of the Regional Government Health Committee, Italy. Mr. Emiliano Minucci, member of the Regional Government of Lazio and member of the Regional Government Health Committee, attended the meeting.

In the second session, The Right to Life and Health Protection of Specific Groups in the New Coronary Pneumonia Epidemic, Prof. Gong Xianghe, Executive Director of the Institute of Human Rights of Southeast University, and Dr. Gao Yike, a doctoral student, presented A Comparative Analysis of the Right to Life Protection of the Elderly in China and Britain in the New Coronary Pneumonia Epidemic. The keynote speech was delivered by Gao Yike. The presentation focused on the current situation of the protection of the right to life of the elderly in China and the UK in the context of the new pneumonia epidemic, and analyzed the differences between the theory, political system and practice of human rights in China and the UK.

According to Prof. Gong Xianghe, the new pneumonia epidemic has seriously threatened the right to life of all human beings, and the elderly, as a special group of people, need special protection of the right to life from the state. At present, there are two major models of epidemic management in China and the UK, and the two major models have shown distinctly different effectiveness, with China significantly outperforming the UK in protecting the right to life of the elderly. The reasons for this are, firstly, the differences in the theoretical understanding of human rights such as the right to equality and freedom between China and the UK, secondly, the differences in the political and legal systems of the two countries, and finally, the different practical measures taken by the two countries to protect the right to life of the elderly, specifically in terms of disease treatment, vaccination, operation of elderly institutions, actions of social and charitable organizations, and international cooperation. The successful experience of China in protecting the right to life of the elderly under the epidemic can be a reference for the UK, and China, UK and the world should strengthen cooperation and work together to fight the epidemic.

In the first session of the seminar, Challenges of the New Coronary Pneumonia Epidemic to the Protection of the Right to Life in Contemporary Times and the Responses of Countries, Ms. Zhang Xuelian gave a speech with the theme of The Dimension of the Right to Health in the Prevention and Control of the New Coronary Epidemic. In addition, since the right to health of vulnerable groups is more likely to be affected in an epidemic, the ability of epidemic prevention and control measures to give special attention to vulnerable groups constitutes an important indicator of whether the government has fulfilled its obligation to protect the right to health.

In this seminar, experts and scholars discussed the challenges posed by the New Coronavirus epidemic to the contemporary right to life and health, the protection of the right to life and health of specific groups, the state's obligation to protect the right to life and health in public health crises, international cooperation in the prevention and control of the New Coronavirus epidemic, and Italy's protection of citizens' right to health in the New Coronavirus epidemic. The meeting reached a broad consensus that the destiny of human beings is closely intertwined and shared, and that all countries should make greater contributions to the healthy development of global anti-epidemic cooperation and human rights governance.