(Adopted at the 21st Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Tenth National People’s Congress on April 29, 2006)

Since 2001, the Fourth Five-year Program for Publicity of and Education in the Legal System has been implemented among all the citizens of our country. As a result, the knowledge of laws centering around the Constitution has been spread on a broad scale and people’s awareness of the importance of law has steadily been increased; the administration of affairs in accordance with law has been furthered and the level of legalized administration of all undertakings has steadily been raised. To adapt to the new situation in which efforts are being made to build a harmonious socialist society and a moderately prosperous society in all respects, to persist in a scientific outlook on development in all areas, to satisfy the new requirements laid down in the Eleventh Five-year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, and to promote the implementation of the basic strategy of ruling the country in accordance with law, it is necessary to carry out the Fifth Five-year Program for Publicity of and Education in the legal system among all citizens. For this purpose, the following resolution is adopted:

(1) Deciding on the contents of publicity of and education in the legal system in accordance with the objectives set in the Outline of the Eleventh Five-year Plan for National Economic and Social Development. It is necessary to make further efforts in publicizing and popularizing the Constitution, in order to enable all citizens to have a better understanding of the basic knowledge of the Constitution, to be loyal to and to abide by the Constitution, and to safeguard the authoritativeness of the Constitution. It is necessary to meet the needs of citizens in learning and using laws, to learn and publicize laws and regulations concerning economic and social development, laws and regulations closely related to people’s production and daily lives, laws and regulations governing consolidation and regulation of the order of the market economy, and laws and regulations related to maintenance of social harmony and stability and to promotion of social fairness and justice, in order to enhance all citizens’ conception of rule by socialist laws, their sense of patriotism and responsibility and their conception of rights and duties, to help them cultivate the behavioral habit of conscientiously respecting and abiding by the laws, and to ensure and promote political, economic, cultural and social development.

(2) Putting stress on key points and setting out different requirements for different groups of people in conducting publicity of and education in the legal system, in order to have a clearer aim in doing so. On the basis of continued publicity of and education in the legal system among all citizens, special attention should be paid to such publicity and education among public servants. Leading cadres at all levels should take the lead in learning and applying laws, improve their ability in making decisions and administering economic and social affairs in accordance with law. All public servants, especially judicial and administrative law-enforcing officials, should build up the firm concept that all powers entail responsibilities, that power is exercised under supervision and that all violations of law must be investigated and penalized, and they should conscientiously improve their ability in exercising public power in accordance with law, in order to ensure the correct implementation of State laws. Continued efforts should be made to improve the publicity of and education in the legal system among juveniles, in order to help them understand from childhood the basic code of conduct which should be abided by and cultivate the behavioral habit of learning and observing laws. Managers and administrators of enterprises should concentrate their efforts on cultivating their sense of the need to be honest and to observe laws and their awareness of their social responsibilities, in order to improve their ability in managing and administering affairs in accordance with law. It is necessary to bring into full play the publicity of and education in the legal system in the drive for building a new socialist countryside, to give the farmers guidance in participating in self-government and administration of social affairs in accordance with law, and in learning and mastering the legal means and knowledge about how to safeguard their lawful rights and interests, solve problems and settle disputes.

(3) Adhering to the principle of combining the publicity of and education in the legal system with the practice of rule by law, in order to raise the level of administration according to law in the whole society. It is necessary to analyze experience and to have the local authorities and different trades administer their affairs according to law in an all-around way, in order to further raise their level of law-enforcement and administration. It is necessary to help grassroots organizations, such as villages and urban communities, administer affairs according to law, in order to push forward the development of democracy at the grassroots level. It is necessary to administer affairs according to law with special stress laid on the efforts to build communities of peace and harmony and to solve the hot and difficult issues of the society. It is necessary to make great efforts in conducting multiforms of activities on the main theme of publicity of and education in the legal system in government departments, villages, urban communities, schools, enterprises and institutions, with a view to combining the publicity of and education in the legal system with the work of public organizations at the grassroots level and with production and everyday life of the people, and to bring about a social atmosphere in which laws are upheld and abided by and matters are handled in accordance with law.

(4) Creating and enriching the forms of publicity of and education in the legal system and imposing weightier social responsibilities on the mass media and news agencies. Television and radio stations, and newspapers and periodicals should start legal programs (including special columns and pages) and carry on the publicity of and education in the legal system in an accurate, popular and lively manner. It is necessary to promote literary and artistic creations on the legal system and improve the quality of such works, in order to steadily increase the appeal of the publicity of and education in the legal system. It is necessary to make full use of the internet in carrying out the publicity of and education in the legal system. Government websites and professional legal publication websites should work hard to become the effective means through which people can learn legal knowledge and receive legal education. It is necessary to strengthen the building of different kinds of arenas to facilitate the publicity of and education in the legal system, and to encourage, guide and regulate the voluntary activities in this field.

(5) Improving organization and leadership of the publicity of and education in the legal system, and mobilizing and relying on all sectors of the society. All government departments, armed forces, political parties, public organizations, enterprises and institutions should attach great importance to publicity of and education in the legal system, establish a system for publicity of and education in the legal system and carry on such publicity and education as is geared to the need of the society. It is necessary to work for practical results and avoid formalism by all means. It is imperative to make greater efforts to improve the publicity of and education in the legal system at the grassroots level and to help overcome by all possible means the difficulties encountered by the people working at the grassroots level for the publicity of and education in the legal system, such as the lack of staff, of teaching materials, of funds and facilities, and work hard to help create favorable conditions for the publicity of and education in the legal system.

(6) Tightening supervision over and inspection of the publicity of and education in the legal system, in order to guarantee conscientious implementation of this Resolution. The standing committees of people’s congresses at all levels should combine legislation and supervision over the implementation of law with the publicity of and education in the legal system, in order to further promote the publicity of and education in the legal system.

The English translation is for reference only and if there is any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.