Speech by DCS at Opening Ceremony of Equal Opportunities Commission Racial Diversity and Inclusion Sports Day 2024 (21.4.2024)
21.4.2024

Following is the speech by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, at the Opening Ceremony of the Equal Opportunities Commission Racial Diversity and Inclusion Sports Day 2024 today (April 21): 林美秀主席（平等機會委員會主席）、鄭泳舜議員（立法會議員）、各位嘉賓、各位朋友： 早晨，大家好！很高興出席今日由平等機會委員會（平機會）舉辦的「種族多元共融運動日」。今日的活動是平機會為響應三月二十一日「國際消除種族歧視日」及慶祝香港法例第602章《種族歧視條例》實施15周年而舉辦的重點節目。平機會將奧林匹克格言「更高、更快、更強——更團結」的理念和種族平等共融結合，透過今日的運動日讓不同族裔、背景、年齡、職業的參加者，以體育會友，以競技促進交流。今日也是第九屆全港運動會開幕的日子，令今日的運動日更具雙重的意義。 香港有超過30萬名非華裔人士，他們許多都是土生土長，有些多年前已經在香港落地生根，是香港大家庭的重要成員。他們從事各行各業，勇於拼搏，敢於創新，為自己開拓發展空間，也為推動香港的發展和進步作出貢獻。 《種族歧視條例》實施15年以來，平機會作為負責執行條例的法定機構，一直致力推動所有香港巿民無分種族，均可以在生活、工作、教育等方面享有平等機會，免受歧視、騷擾或中傷。 經過多年來的努力，平機會和社會各界在促進種族平等、推動社會種族共融發展方面，做了很多的工作。簽署《種族多元共融僱主約章》的企業，由最初首批的11間增加至目前超過400間；而在去年推出的第二屆「種族友善校園嘉許計劃」，參加的人數學校亦從60間大增三倍至179間。 政府一直致力促進市民不分種族均有平等機會獲得公共服務，並推動不同族裔人士融合，共建關愛共融社會。為加強支援平機會有關《種族歧視條例》的宣傳及教育活動，政府自二○一五年起向平機會提供額外資源，設立「少數族裔事務組」，以及加強宣傳教育、培訓及社區聯繫等工作，致力消除社會上對不同族裔人士的偏見，讓他們平等地參與和融入社會。 在去年的《施政報告》中，行政長官宣布了一系列為少數族裔人士在融入社區、教育、就業、福利和醫療等方面提供的服務和支援。 在就業方面，政府鼓勵部門按個別職系的工作需要設計專屬的語文能力測試，為少數族裔申請人提供多一個途徑達到入職的語文能力要求。舉例而言，已有300多位少數族裔申請人在為投考警員而設的中文或英文筆試取得合格成績，讓不同背景的人才，例如一些沒有在港應考公開試的少數族裔人士，也有機會加入政府工作。此外，在為非華裔學生而設的政府部門實習計劃中，亦加入職場中文基礎培訓，幫助他們認識日常工作應用的中文和要求的中文水平。 在促進融入社區方面，《施政報告》提出少數族裔人士支援服務中心的數目，將由現時八間增加至十間。新增兩間中心分別設於九龍中（覆蓋九龍城及黃大仙）及新界東（覆蓋西貢及將軍澳），它們的籌備工作已經展開。 《施政報告》亦提出與非政府機構合作，試行為少數族裔人士設立的情緒支援及輔導的服務中心，中心亦已於去年年底投入服務，為有需要人士提供更適切服務。而由少數族裔人士組成的「少數族裔關愛隊」亦預計於今年內開始提供服務。 推廣種族共融，建構和諧社會，需要整個社會的配合和支持。今日，我很高興看見有來自體育界、教育界、企業和社區機構的朋友和政府部門的同事到場，以實際行動攜手共建更多元、共融的社會。 I would now like to repeat what I just said in English. Good morning everyone. It is great pleasure to join you all at this Racial Diversity and Inclusion Sports Day organised by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). This event is part of EOC's efforts to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and celebrate the 15th anniversary of the implementation of the Race Discrimination Ordinance. Today, we gather here to promote racial equality and inclusion through sports and competition under the Olympic motto of Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together. Today is also the opening day of the 9th Hong Kong Games, which makes this event doubly meaningful. There are over 300 000 non-ethnic Chinese calling Hong Kong home. They are no doubt an integral part of the Hong Kong family. Working dutifully and diligently across various professions and areas, our non-ethnic Chinese brothers and sisters have made equal contributions for the growth of Hong Kong. Since the implementation of the Race Discrimination Ordinance 15 years ago, EOC has been committed to promoting equal opportunities in various aspects of daily life, work and education, etc., for all Hong Kong residents regardless of their race, so that they are free from discrimination, harassment and vilification. The Government has always strived to ensure that citizens irrespective of their race have equal access to public services. We are committed to promoting racial integration and building a caring and inclusive society. The Government has been providing additional resources for EOC to establish the Ethnic Minorities Unit since 2015 and to strengthen its relevant work from promotion and education to training and community engagement. In last year's Policy Address, the Chief Executive announced a series of services and support for ethnic minorities on various fronts, such as integration into the community, education, employment, welfare, and healthcare. In terms of employment, the Government encourages departments to design their own language tests to provide an additional pathway for ethnic-minority applicants to meet the appointment requirements on language proficiency. For instance, more than 300 ethnic-minority applicants have passed the Chinese/English written exam designed for police recruitment. This would allow ethnic minorities who may not have participated in public examinations in Hong Kong to gain the opportunity to join and work for the Government. In addition, the Internship Programme for non-ethnic Chinese students also provides participants with basic workplace Chinese training, to enhance their understanding on the application of Chinese and the required level of Chinese proficiency in daily work. As regards measures for promoting community integration in last year's Policy Address, the Government has embarked on the preparatory work for setting up two additional support service centres for ethnic minorities in Kowloon Central and New Territories East. A service centre providing emotional support and counseling services for ethnic minorities has also commenced operation last year while the Ethnic Minority Care Teams are expected to commence service within this year. Promoting racial integration and building a harmonious society requires the collaboration and support of the entire community. It is encouraging to see so many representatives from different sectors in today's event, as a pledge of their support for a more diverse and inclusive society. On this promising note, I wish today's event great success. Thank you. Ends/Sunday, April 21, 2024 Issued at HKT 12:47 NNNN