The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Patrick YU Chung-yin as Director (Operations) with effect from 1 November 2003.


Mr. YU is currently the Executive Director of the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities. He has a LLB, a Post-graduate Diploma on Legal Practice, and a Diploma in Social Work. He is actively involved in equality, race, and human rights issues in Northern Ireland, UK, Republic of Ireland and Europe.


He was recently appointed as a member of the Legal Expert Panel to advise the Government on the drafting of the Single Equality Bill for Northern Ireland. He is a member of the High Level Steering Group on Public Awareness Programme on Racism of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Republic of Ireland.


Up until July 2003, he was a Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. He was also the Deputy Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality for Northern Ireland and Chair of the Legal Committee of the Commission.


He is also the former Chair of the Starting Line Group (1998-2001), a European network of legal experts and key NGOs, which campaigns for the EU Directive on racial and religious discrimination. The Starting Line proposal became the cornerstone of the European Commission's Race Directive.


Mr. YU was born and raised in Hong Kong and he lived and worked in Hong Kong until 1990, when he went abroad to further his studies. While in Northern Ireland, he maintained extensive contacts with Hong Kong.


Mr. YU has a strong background in safeguarding human rights and promoting equal opportunities. In his capacity as Director (Operations), he will oversee complaints handling related to the anti-discrimination legislation and other related functions.


Enquiry: Ms. Mariana LAW 21062226