Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheung Kin-chung, at the International Volunteer Day Recognition Ceremony 2017 today (December 3):
  
     I just want to say a few words in English because Ms Mariani (Executive Director of the International Association for Volunteer Effort) might not know what I was just talking about in Cantonese. Just a few points. First of all, thank you very much for all of your support, United Nations in particular.
 
     Just three very brief points. First of all, the Government of Hong Kong attaches great importance to promoting volunteer services here. According to our latest record, 1.28 million Hong Kong citizens have registered as volunteers. We have a population of 7.3 million which means one out of six Hong Kong people now actually provide volunteer service in one way or another. 
 
     Another point is that volunteer service indeed has no boundary. No matter what your nationality and background, all you need is your heart. 

     So, on that note, I would use “4Cs” to conclude my speech. First is Care. The second C is Compassion. The third C is Cohesion and finally is Community. Work together to build a caring, compassionate, cohesive community. That is what volunteer service is all about.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

Ends/Sunday, December 3, 2017
Issued at HKT 18:48

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