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Welcome Reception and Screening of the BBC Documentary, "The Not So Secret Life of the Manic Depressive: Ten Years On" at the British Consulate-General on the occasion of the Conference on Equality in the Asia Pacific 2018: Progress and Challenges
Co-organised by the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions

平等機會委員會主席陳章明教授致歡迎辭 (只備英文版)

19/09/2018

Ms Blythe, Kieren, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good evening. On behalf of the Equal Opportunities Commission, I'd like to extend a hearty welcome to our guests and delegates from the APF. It's a pleasure to meet you all here, ahead of the Conference on Equality in the Asia Pacific. I'd also like to give a big thank-you to Ms Blythe and the British Consulate-General for hosting this wonderful reception tonight.

We're indeed thrilled to meet so many new friends from across the Asia-Pacific region. What brings us together this evening, and for two days starting tomorrow, is a simple word – EQUALITY. It's a universal value, a shared ideal, and in this era where xenophobia is rampant and intolerance often legitimised if not glorified, we need this sense of solidarity and comradeship more than ever.

But while we're united by our common pursuit of equality, our belief in basic human dignity, we may not be sharing the same struggles or fighting the same battles. Historical and cultural nuance means that there're bound to be differences between our societies – in the kinds of prejudice that haunt us, the discrimination people face, and therefore the solutions, the policies and the laws we have to formulate. That's why we're putting together this conference with APF, to allow those nuances to surface, to illuminate situations both comparable and divergent, and hopefully to open up new avenues of change for each and every one of us.

Speaking of change, the documentary that's showing tonight explores what difference has been made to the lives of people living with bipolar disorder since the 2006 award-winning TV series "The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive" came out. Released in 2016, this 10-year follow-up shows the British comedian Stephen Fry returning to the subject of mental health, asking whether and how public perception has changed, and reflecting on his own roller-coaster journey through mental illness with heart-rending candour.

Mental health is an issue near and dear to all of us. According to the World Health Organization, mental health disorders are among the main causes of disease and disability in the world, and depressive disorders are a leading cause of the global disease burden.

I cannot but be reminded of the tragic death of our home-grown singer-songwriter, Ellen Joyce Loo, just a month ago. Our friends from outside Hong Kong may be unfamiliar with the name, but Ellen too was a respected figure in the entertainment business, a fierce warrior against bipolar disorder, a courageous spirit who opened up about her vulnerabilities, showing us all that being vulnerable does not mean being weak. She was also a vocal advocate of LGBT rights, a fearless supporter of the local democratic movement, and above all, an artist with a heart. Despite our loss and grief, she will be remembered fondly as such.

The stories of Stephen Fry and Ellen Loo carry with them a message that's both sobering and very much relevant to our conference: making progress is hard, and it;s never a linear process. Challenges aside, there'll be relapses, backlashes, moments of hesitation and self-doubt. Doing fine today is not a guarantee for a better tomorrow. That's why we must work together to find ways to make further strides, to step up the fight against prejudice and inequality, and to prevent progress from being undone.

And that's exactly what we'll be discussing tomorrow and the day after. But for the time being, sit back, enjoy the film, and have a lovely evening. Thank you very much.

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