The EOC is pleased to announce that our official website (www.eoc.org.hk) has been recognised with a “Best.hk Website Awards 2014” under the Non-commercial Stream (<100 Staff). The Awards scheme is organised by Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited, with the aim of recognising good practices in local Hong Kong website development. The Awards are composed of four streams, covering both the private and public sectors, with a view to providing a platform for a wide range of local entities to share best practices for .hk website development. According to the organiser, “The outstanding websites serve as examples for promoting the proper use of the Internet and related technologies, showing their contribution and effort in achieving service excellence and meeting business and social needs via the Internet.” The Awards Presentation Ceremony will take place on 21 April 2015.

The EOC is committed to ensuring that our website will continue to be a clear, user-friendly, and accessible source of information on equal opportunities and eliminating discrimination for all. With streamlining of content and enhancement of site map by the EOC, the public can locate information even more conveniently with fewer clicks. In 2014, the EOC website registered 1.64 million visits, 23.6% more than in 2013.

Visit the EOC’s website
More about the Awards scheme

On 10 April 2015, The University of Hong Kong (HKU) launched on campus the United Nations’ campaign for gender equality, HeForShe, which aims to spread awareness and spark action on the responsibility that men and boys have in eliminating all forms of discrimination against women and violence against women and girls. The event was hosted by the Head of HeForShe, Ms Elizabeth Nyamayaro and HKU President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Mathieson. The EOC Chairperson, Dr York CHOW, was one of the event’s officiating guests. In his speech at the launch, Dr. Chow praised HKU for being a global role model university for inclusion, diversity and gender equality. He also called for greater involvement of men in the pursuit of true gender equality: “Gender equality is a human right, not only women’s right, and it impacts all of us. We need to shift the narrative at every level: in the family, in the classroom, at work, in policymaking, and in everyday conversations. And we can only do that if all of us, whatever our age, position or gender, get involved, starting now.”

Late last month, Dr Chow also delivered the opening remarks at the IFLR Asia Women in Business Law Forum 2015, organised by Euromoney Legal Media Group on 25 March 2015. He noted the under-representation of women in leadership positions, both in the public and private sectors, including the various structural barriers that remain, which put women at a disadvantage when competing for leadership positions. He called on the Government to take the lead to tackle the issue, including encouraging the use of the Gender Mainstreaming Checklist outside of the Government to cover all subvented organisations and business partners. He also urged the participants to be role models in their own lives by helping to mentor and sponsor junior colleagues, as well as to use their skills and expertise to join in the fight for gender equality outside of the legal and business sectors.

Read Dr Chow’s speech at HKU’s HeForShe launch
More about the HeForShe campaign

Access to information is one of the key aspects of ensuring that people with disability can equally participate in everyday life and opportunities. To encourage service providers, organisations, and other enterprises to make their website accessible for all, the EOC has been jointly organising the Web Accessibility Recognition Scheme with the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO). Now in its third consecutive year, the scheme has brought in two new awards this year, namely the Triple Gold Award and Designer Award, which were introduced to laud organisations’ continuous efforts and accomplishments in adopting web accessibility, as well as the innovative ideas of their technology/design partners. This year, the Scheme has attracted more than 300 enrolments from various sectors, including academia, finance, media and transportation. On 13 April 2015, the EOC Chairperson, Dr York CHOW, was an officiating guest at the Scheme’s Award Presentation Ceremony.

More about the Web Accessibility Recognition Scheme
Read the Government’s press release

2015 is the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), which was adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing in 1995 to provide a blueprint for action on women’s empowerment. In commemoration of the BPFA, the Gender Research Centre of the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies at The Chinese University of Hong Kong will adopt the theme “Beijing +20” for its Annual Gender Roles Workshop held in June 2015. To make the workshop as representative as possible of opinions in Hong Kong, the Gender Research Centre now invites women’s organisations and NGOs/service units to convey their opinions on gender issues by filling in a questionnaire. The deadline for returning the questionnaire is 27 April 2015 via the following methods:

By email:	grcentre@cuhk.edu.hk
By post:	Rm 512, 5/F, Esther Lee Building, Chung Chi College, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T.
By fax:	2603-5215
By online form:	Link

Online Questionnaire
More on the Beijing Platform for Action