Commencing her visit to Beijing today, Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs Alice Mak attended the inauguration ceremony of the Hong Kong-Macao Youth Internship Programme at Palace Museum, and called on officials to foster exchanges in women and youth development.

Miss Mak met All-China Women’s Federation Vice-President Lin Yi to exchange views on promoting the development of women and families on the Mainland and in Hong Kong.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the World Conference on Women, China will host the Global Summit of Women in Beijing in the second half of the year to discuss plans for advancing women’s career development. Miss Mak said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will participate in the summit.

She added that today’s meeting allowed the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau to gain a better understanding of the country’s work on women’s issues, draw on the experiences of women’s organisations on the Mainland, and promote women’s development in Hong Kong.

Miss Mak then called on All-China Youth Federation (ACYF) Vice President Hu Baijing.

With the support of the central government, the ACYF implemented various measures to benefit young people in Hong Kong, including providing internship opportunities and enriching the youth’s knowledge of the nation through visits and exchanges. Miss Mak thanked the ACYF and remarked that the Hong Kong SAR Government will maintain co-operation with the federation.

In the afternoon, Miss Mak officiated at the inauguration ceremony of the Hong Kong-Macao Youth Internship Programme at Palace Museum.

Speaking at the ceremony, she said the programme enables Hong Kong youth to acquire professional knowledge in such fields as cultural property conservation, exhibition planning as well as publicity and promotions, providing them with a platform for Chinese cultural exchanges.

Meeting the interns, Miss Mak encouraged them to humbly learn from the instructors and apply their knowledge in the future to help Hong Kong further establish itself as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchanges.