Dr. York CHOW Yat-Ngok assumed office as the Chairperson of the EOC on 1 April 2013. Dr. Chow reaffirmed his commitment to uphold the values of dignity and inclusion for all people and reiterated his vision for the EOC to continue its role as the advocate of human rights and equal opportunities, including to listen to the views of different stakeholders, speak out on behalf of the disadvantaged, mainstream equal opportunity values through public education, advocate necessary policy changes, and ensure that the Commission stays up to speed with international best practices in the protection of equal opportunities for all.

Read the Government’s press release on Dr. Chow’s appointment

The EOC believes that everyone should have equal opportunities to pursue their dreams without discrimination due to factors such as sexual orientation and gender identity. On 1 April 2013, Dr. York CHOW Yat-Ngok, the EOC Chairperson, attended the BigLove Day, a public event organised by Big Love Alliance with the aim of promoting equality and inclusion of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Dr. Chow urged the government to enact legislation to protect the LGBT community from discrimination and pledged that the EOC would play a proactive role in paving the way for legislation. Over 1,000 participants attended the event.

In addition, on 18 March 2013, on behalf of the Commission, Dr. John TSE Wing-ling, the Convenor of the EOC’s Policy and Research Committee, attended the forum, “Strike a Balance—Rainbow Equality”, organised by The University of Hong Kong’s Harvard College in Asia Programme. At the forum, Dr. Tse expressed the Commission’s support for a public consultation towards legislation to protect the LGBT community from discrimination.

More on BigLove Day on Facebook

The EOC noted the concluding observations of the 107^th session of the United Nations Human Rights Committee, following the Hearing of the Third Report of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China on the Implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which took place on 12-13 March 2013. The EOC notes the views of the Committee particularly on improving equal rights for ethnic minorities, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) population, migrant domestic workers, and people with disabilities. The EOC urges the Hong Kong Government to thoroughly consider and to concretely follow through on the Committee’s recommendations and ensure that the rights of all are protected.

Read the EOC’s submission to the 107th session of the UN Human Rights Committee on the implementation of the ICCPR in Hong Kong

In an effort to promote equal opportunities for all, the EOC has supported the Primaco Productions  (Primaco) (原色人), a non-profit organization aiming at promoting sexual diversity and equality to the general public through video productions in their efforts to organize the "Sex-NO Discrimination" Micro-Documentary Competition to discuss the issues of gender stereotyping and sexual diversity. The competition has been successfully concluded last month. The EOC representative had joined the Legislative Councillor, The Hon Raymond CHAN, and other adjudicators of the competition to attend the Screening and Awards Presentation Ceremony held on 31 March 2013. Members of the public are welcome to watch the winning documentaries at the following website:

“Sex-NO Discrimination?” Micro-Documentary Competition

The Community Participation Funding Programme (CPFP) 2013/14 is now open for application. It aims at encouraging eligible organisations to carry out projects which promote public understanding of equal opportunities, foster anti-discriminatory attitudes and encourage members of the public to support and apply the principles of equal opportunities in everyday life. Over the past 16 years, the EOC has supported over 890 projects by non-governmental organizations, community groups, and schools to promote public understanding of equal opportunities. To be eligible for funding, the applications should reach the EOC either by 15 May 2013 (1st batch) or by 31 July 2013 (2nd batch), and clearly state how the planned activities will promote equal opportunities, and/or advance anti-discriminatory attitudes and behaviours. The maximum funding limit of each project is $50,000.

Read the press release
See more details on the CPFP

Diamond Cab, a Social Ventures Hong Kong (SVhk)-supported social enterprise offering barrier-free transportation services for wheelchair users, has launched a youth competition for the year 2013 to mobilize young people to come up with innovative solutions to social issues such as the ageing population and poverty. This year’s competition will be co-organised with ChelseaFC Soccer School. The Competition will culminate in an event on 1 May 2013, during which the finalists will compete for the top prize by presenting their ideas to a panel of judges. Dr. York CHOW Yat-Ngok, the EOC Chairperson, will be one of the judges at this event. For more details of the initiative, please see the below link.

Details