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“Hong Kong for All: Vision 2020”: The EOC and Caritas Youth and Community Service Co-organize Public Event in Observation of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

16/03/2014

Today (16 March 2014), Caritas Youth and Community Service and the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) co-organized an event in celebration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD) at Caritas Community Centre - Kowloon, from 1:00pm to 5:00pm. This marked the second year of collaboration between the EOC and Caritas to commemorate the IDERD, which is observed annually on 21 March, and raise public awareness on racial discrimination. The theme of this year’s event, “Hong Kong for All: Vision 2020,” was formulated with the aim of encouraging the public to envision racial inclusion in Hong Kong and what is needed to achieve this goal by the year 2020.

Officiating at the launch ceremony was the Guest of Honour, The Hon Mrs Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, GBS, JP, Chief Secretary for Administration, Hong Kong SAR. Other officiating guests included The Hon LAI Tung-kwok, SBS, IDSM, JP, Secretary for Security; The Hon Eddie NG Hak-kim, SBS, JP, Secretary for Education; and The Hon Paul Tang Kwok-wai, JP, Secretary for the Civil Service. In addition, Dr. York Chow, GBS, JP, Chairperson of the Equal Opportunities Commission; Dr. C K Law, SBS, JP, Chairman of the Social Work Committee of Caritas; and Ms Maggie Chan, Director of Social Work Services of Caritas represented the co-organisers in the ceremony.

Dr. York CHOW, Chairperson of the EOC, said, “We want to see a more inclusive Hong Kong by 2020. By organizing this event, our goal was to draw attention to the fact that ethnic minorities form a key part of Hong Kong’s society, and their visions for our collective future must have a platform in order to be heard and nurtured. Indeed, regardless of our race, we all share a desire for equality and respect. Through today’s activities, we have heard the aspirations of different communities and groups, particularly from the younger generation who will become the pillars of our society, towards building a more inclusive city. I hope we can take action to ensure that there is equal opportunity for all our dreams to be realised.”

“In order to promote social integration and make sure that we can leverage our diversity to our mutual advantage and successful development, it is crucial to raise public awareness on this vital concern. By bringing different parts of society together today – from the Government to grassroot communities of various ethnic backgrounds – to exchange ideas for a brighter future, we are taking a positive step towards ensuring that everyone can benefit without discrimination from what our city has to offer, be it in the areas of employment, education, access to services, housing, and even leisure activities,” Dr. Chow continued.

Dr. Law Chi Kwong, SBS, JP, Chairman of Caritas Hong Kong’s Social Work Committee, noted that, “Our service focus for the coming year will include firstly the social integration programme to promote racial acceptance and racial harmony. Equally importantly, we shall continue our efforts to facilitate the Public Service Mainstreaming with Ethnic Minorities Perspective by conducting Cultural Sensitivity Training for public service providers. We shall also further collaborate with Kowloon Chamber of Commerce and Hong Kong Police Force, Kowloon City District with the assistance of Curriculum Development expert, to render support at community level for Ethnic Minorities Youth to learn Chinese as second language effectively. As the name of the Star Marking Project for Ethnic Minorities suggested, we are making stars together for the future of Hong Kong.”

The afternoon featured speeches and sharing on issues relating to racial discrimination and equality, prize-giving ceremony for winners of the IDERD2014 Youth Writing Competition, singing by popular local performers, as well as cultural performances and information exhibitions.


For media enquiries, please contact Ms Mariana LAW (EOC) at 2106 2226 or Mr. Bill Lay (Caritas) at 2339 3715.


Equal Opportunities Commission
16 March 2014

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