At the meeting of the Legislative Council Panel on Constitutional Affairs on 19 April, the EOC presented to the Panel Members a paper summarising its work progress and upcoming focuses. The paper also details the organisation’s strategic plan for 2016-19, which include the following corporate goals with respective priority areas:
1. Driving legislative improvement, with a focus on pursuing the legislative reforms recommended under the Discrimination Law Review;
2. Advancing the rights of ethnic minorities, especially in education, employment and access to services;
3. Promoting the rights of persons with disabilities, particularly in education, employment and access to public services;
4. Addressing prevalent discrimination and harassment issues and promoting diversity and inclusion, in a bid to foster a safe, discrimination- and harassment-free environment; and
5. Striving for organisational excellence, in order to deliver better services for the community.
At the same meeting, legislator The Hon Claudia MO raised a motion, calling on the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau to strengthen support for the EOC’s work and provide the EOC’s Ethnic Minorities Unit with sufficient financial resources to tackle discrimination facing the ethnic minority residents in Hong Kong. The motion was passed unanimously.
We hope the Government, NGOs, private companies and other stakeholders will continue to support the EOC in combating discrimination and fighting for equal opportunities for the disadvantaged groups.
For details of the strategic plan, including the expected results and key indicators for quantifying the performances in the above areas, please visit our website.
Read the EOC’s strategic plan
Read the EOC’s submission to the LegCo Panel on Constitutional Affairs
The first issue of Equality Perspectives has been officially launched. A descendent of the EOC Journal, this new publication takes an in-depth approach in examining topics and issues relating to equal opportunities.
For the inaugural issue, we have chosen to focus on the employment situation of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Hong Kong, which has progressed very slowly over the years. To present a comprehensive picture, the journal summarises key facts and figures, relevant Government policies, the protection offered by the anti-discrimination legislation, and employment-related services for PWDs. In addition to inspiring employers to hire PWDs, the journal provides them with insight into the advantages of a diverse workplace, and practical information on how to make the employment of PWDs a reality.
The journal was distributed with copies of Hong Kong Economic Times on 12 April across various business districts of Hong Kong to reach the target readers, namely employers and employees. It is also available on our website for public access.
Read the launch issue of Equality Perspectives
Read the previous e-news on interviews with the non-profits featured in Equality Perspectives
Professor Alfred CHAN Cheung-ming, EOC Chairperson, wrote a third op-ed on the employment of PWDs in the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on 18 April. In the article, Prof. Chan queries why employers, many of whom are aware of the benefits of diversity for business, are reluctant to employ PWDs, as suggested by a survey conducted by CareER, a non-profit organisation specialising in job-matching services for PWDs. Prof. Chan then goes on to cite examples of companies that include PWDs in their staff, and urges the Government to take the lead in employing PWDs. The article ends with a positive message to employers: the benefits of diversity are laid on the table; all they need to reach them is to take a step forward.
For readers of Chinese, Prof. Chan wrote a new entry in his am730 column on 12 April, in which he praised the Talent-Wise Employment Charter and Inclusive Organisations Recognition Scheme for motivating companies to recruit and hire people based on abilities rather than disabilities. The EOC was among the organisations recognised by the scheme.
We certainly look forward to seeing the employment opportunities and conditions for PWDs improve in the near future.
This May will see Hong Kong’s first and very own “service marathon” – Serve-a-thon – which is held in some 70 cities around the globe. The Hong Kong event is organised by HandsOn Hong Kong, which mobilises volunteers to help those in need, and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service. From 6 to 14 May, hundreds of volunteer activities will be held across the city, allowing individuals and organisations alike to contribute to the betterment of the community.
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HandsOn Hong Kong is one of the organisations that have pledged to support the EOC’s EMbRACE campaign, launched in March to promote racial equality. Other supporters include Justice Centre Hong Kong, Crown Worldwide Group, Community Business, and Junior Chamber |
| International Hong Kong, which is the organiser of the Run for Peace charity run on 29 April. |
We hope more and more organisations and companies will join our campaign and let the power of inclusion grow by leaps and bounds.
