Views sought: Council for Sustainable Development vice-chairman Dr Edgar Cheng chairs the the First Strategy Forum held by the council.

The options and scenarios outlined in the Information & Response document do not represent policy proposals from the Government, the Council for Sustainable Development says.

Speaking at the First Strategy Forum held by the council today, its vice-chairman Dr Edgar Cheng said the document represents the outcome of discussions by groups of stakeholders invited to help engage the community in a discussion of key issues relating to Hong Kong's sustainability.

He said sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

"We would like to build a genuine partnership with the community. Stakeholders from non-government organisations have, from the beginning, been taking an active part in the drafting of the document," Dr Cheng said.

In taking forward the public engagement exercise, the council undertook to involve a wide cross-section of stakeholders in the community, so as to enable it to fulfil its role as an advisory council to the Government on sustainable development.

Report to be submitted

At the end of the consultation period on November 12, the council will compile a report for submission to the Government, outlining its recommendations with regard to a sustainable development strategy for the three Pilot Areas covered in the document.

During the half-day forum, the Convenors of the three Support Groups for the Pilot Areas - Albert Lai, for Solid Waste Management, Otto Poon for Renewable Energy and Dr Chan Wai-kwan (representing Professor Peter Hills) for Urban Living Space - stressed the support groups do not have preconceived ideas on the relevant areas.

The 170 participants who attended the forum came from diverse backgrounds, including members of the District Councils, non-government organisations, academic institutions, professional bodies, stakeholder groups as well as representatives from government departments.

The council launched the IR document on July 15. It will engage the public in discussion on the document through a series of forums, hearings and seminars that will run until November 12.

The public can view the document, take part in an online discussion forum and obtain information on future events from the Sustainable Development Strategy website.