The EOC made a submission to the Legislative Council’s Subcommittee on Rights of Ethnic Minorities on 22 January to provide recommendations on the “Administrative Guidelines on Promotion of Racial Equality”. The Guidelines were issued by the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau in 2010 to guide government functions and public bodies in promoting racial equality, especially in ensuring equal access to public services by ethnic minorities.

Given that the Race Discrimination Ordinance has been enacted for almost 10 years and that the Guidelines were issued some seven years ago, the EOC suggested in the submission that the Guidelines move towards a more proactive approach in achieving racial equality. Since the Guidelines are non-mandatory, the EOC believes there is a need to ensure the consistency of implementation across government functions and public bodies and to set up a monitoring system. In terms of content, the EOC recommends the Guidelines should cover key measures for government functions and public bodies to follow in order to promote equal opportunities in recruitment for ethnic minorities.

• Read the submission
• Read the “Administrative Guidelines on Promotion of Racial Equality”