Chief Executive John Lee today expressed hope that the local social welfare sector will engage in exchanges with the Mainland and overseas to promote high quality development of the sector.
 
Mr Lee made the statement at the Starting a New Chapter in Hong Kong Social Welfare Summit & Inaugural Ceremony of Hong Kong Social Welfare Sector Heart to Heart Joint Action.
 
He congratulated the inauguration of the Heart to Heart Joint Action and hoped that it would unite different fronts to scale new heights in social welfare services in collaboration with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.
 
Additionally, the Chief Executive commended the summit, which gathered social welfare professionals from around the world, for showing the unity of the social welfare sector as well as its strong support as Hong Kong is starting a new chapter in the development of the sector.
 
He also said he hoped that, with Hong Kong's distinctive advantage in enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world under "one country, two systems", the local social welfare sector would continue to engage in exchanges with the Mainland and overseas to promote high quality development of the sector.
 
Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government (LOCPG) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Zheng Yanxiong, who attended the ceremony on behalf of Director of the State Council’s Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) Xia Baolong, the HKMAO and the LOCPG, also addressed the audience.
 
Apart from expressing that he looks forward to the social welfare sector remaining committed to its aspiration and mission of guiding the way for a bright future for the sector, Mr Zheng said he is eager for it to remain united to effectively forge consensus and promote the mainstream values of the core of "be patriotic and love Hong Kong" and the implementation of "one country, two systems".
 
Mr Zheng added that hopes the sector will remain pragmatic and focused when serving the community so that the public can benefit more from the fruits of economic development in a fair manner.
 
Prior to the summit, Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun signed a Memorandum of Co-operation on Care for the Elderly (MoC) on behalf of the Labour & Welfare Bureau (LWB) with the Guangdong Province’s Department of Civil Affairs to foster collaboration in elderly care services between the two places.
 
The MoC will boost support for elderly care development in both places, facilitate elderly care training and exchanges and encourage relevant organisations to explore and extend the scope and mode of co-operation.
 
As he introduced the latest developments of local elderly care services in detail in his keynote speech at the summit, Mr Sun stressed that the Hong Kong SAR Government would strive to overcome challenges of an ageing population through enhancing services, cultivating talent, optimising utilisation of land resources and promoting application of technology.
 
He also encouraged the local social welfare sector to seize the opportunities arising from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and provide more quality options for retiring Hong Kong people.
 
The summit, jointly organised by the LWB, the Social Welfare Department and the Hong Kong Social Welfare Sector Heart to Heart Joint Action, brings together local, Mainland and international stakeholders to share and exchange views on social welfare issues.
 
As the event was conducted in hybrid mode, it attracted around 500 social welfare professionals participating in person and close to 10,000 participants online. Furthermore, 30 keynote speakers or panellists from around the world spoke at the summit.
 
Moreover, an exhibition on the services provided by local non-governmental organisations was held at the summit to introduce products and provide service information including soft meals for the elderly, gerontechnology and pre-school children rehabilitation services.