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Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, at the 17th World Council of YMCA opening ceremony held at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre this afternoon (July 19):
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for the invitation to join you for your opening ceremony. It is a great pleasure to welcome you all to Hong Kong.
I am delighted that Hong Kong is hosting the 17th World Council of the YMCA under the theme: "Striving for Global Citizenship for All".
Ladies and gentlemen, we like to call Hong Kong "Asia's world city". Promoting global citizenship is part and parcel of living up to our aspiration as a truly international city.
I look forward to learning more about your thoughts on this important topic during the World Council Programme this week.
For us, nurturing global citizenship means providing a welcoming, caring and pluralistic society where personal freedoms are protected and no one is above the law.
It is also about encouraging each of our citizens to be responsible for one another and for the environment we all share.
While the widespread use of the term "global citizenship" is relatively new, the concept is not. Indeed the YMCA was founded on a commitment to promote caring, unity and equality back in 1844. The YMCA brought this message to Hong Kong more than 100 years ago with the establishment of the local YMCA in 1901.
Today, Hong Kong is uniquely placed to play an important role in "Striving for Global Citizenship for All".
Our location at the crossroads of global trade and our status as an international business and financial centre have produced a cultural melting pot here in the heart of East Asia.
We are also a modern city, connected globally by the latest telecommunications, state-of-the-art infrastructure and by the aspirations and ideas of our young people.
The Hong Kong Government has a role to play in all this. We invest in the latest technologies; build bridges – both physically and metaphorically – between communities in the region and around the world. We also provide high quality education so that all our young people have the opportunity to expand their horizons and fulfill their potential as responsible global citizens.
In recent years, Hong Kong has become much more integrated with the Mainland of China. To encourage this trend, the Government supports many cross-boundary youth exchange programmes.
Life experiences often speak louder than words in broadening horizons and building friendships among people.
Our Commission on Youth, an advisory body to the Hong Kong Government, subsidises exchanges for young people to the Mainland of China and to other countries.
This financial year, we have set aside sponsorship of $20 million to enable 9,400 young people to participate in various youth exchange or internship programmes to the Mainland. Young people in Hong Kong are also encouraged to experience living overseas by joining bilateral working holiday schemes with New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Japan and Canada. About 12,300 Hong Kong youngsters have benefited from the schemes, while some 1,500 young people from these countries have come here to experience our vibrant way of life.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are delighted that so many young people from around the world – together with renowned international leaders – are in Hong Kong for this World Council meeting.
It is a great opportunity for Hong Kong people to learn more about the YMCA and its considerable contributions to the international community. It is also a chance for you to get to know and enjoy our city and see how we can contribute to promoting "Global Citizenship for All".
I wish you all a successful World Council meeting and a memorable stay here in Hong Kong, Asia's world city.
Thank you very much.
Ends/Monday, July 19, 2010
Issued at HKT 17:53
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