A ceremony, attended by Chief Executive John Lee, was held today to mark the participation of a record-high 16 young public officers from Hong Kong in the United Nations Junior Professional Officer Programme.

The young officers are the third batch of Hong Kong officers to join the programme. They were recommended for participation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ceremony was held at the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The officers will be working at the UN’s headquarters in New York and at the organisation’s offices in Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi as Chinese personnel. They will begin leaving to take up two-year tenures from this month.

Addressing the ceremony, Mr Lee outlined that the "The First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026-2030)" will be promulgated soon. He said the document will fully align with the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan, improve the mechanisms for Hong Kong to assume a greater role in the country's opening up to the world, and harness the city's role as an important window for exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and Western cultures. 

Mr Lee added that by applying their professional expertise and perseverance to the international arena, Hong Kong youths can exemplify the Hong Kong SAR’s alignment with national strategies and contribution to overall national diplomacy.

He iterated that it is Hong Kong’s mission to assist the nation’s endeavours to build a global community with a shared future, and stressed that the young public servants from Hong Kong will bring together the city’s professional strengths and practical experience across a number of key fields.

The Chief Executive urged the officers to act with three “hearts”: a heart for the nation, a heart for Hong Kong and a heart for the world.

He said they should serve as pioneers in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, as a driving force in promoting Hong Kong’s high-quality development, and contribute to the city’s role as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” connecting the nation with the world.

Mr Lee spoke with the officers to learn about their preparations for the programme, and wished them every success in their work at the UN.

The 16 officers are from the Financial Services & the Treasury Bureau; the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department; the Census & Statistics Department; the Civil Engineering & Development Department; the Customs & Excise Department; the Department of Justice; the Electrical & Mechanical Services Department; the Hong Kong Observatory; the Hong Kong Police Force; the Intellectual Property Department; the Lands Department; and the Independent Commission Against Corruption.