The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Joshua Law, commenced a four-day visit to North America yesterday (September 11, Eastern Standard Time), visiting renowned institutes to learn more about their public administration programmes and exchanging views with government officials on the management and training of the civil service.

     During the first leg of his visit in Boston, the United States, Mr Law visited the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University to gain a better understanding of the School's training for civil servants as well as its public administration and policy programmes. He also called on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to learn more about its experience in promoting innovation and the use of technology.

     Mr Law will today (September 12, Eastern Standard Time) visit the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University in New York, which runs executive courses for civil servants from all over the world. He will also meet with government officials of the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services to exchange views on the management and training of the civil service.

     Mr Law will continue his visit programme in Ottawa and Toronto, Canada, on September 13 and 14 (Canada Time). He will visit the training facilities at the Centre on Public Management and Policy, University of Ottawa to find out about their training courses for public officers. This will be followed by a tour of the Canada School of Public Service to learn more about the School's operation and training courses provided to the civil service there.

     Mr Law will meet with government officials of the Privy Council for Canada to exchange views on matters concerning the management of the civil service. He will also meet with representatives of the Ontario Treasury Board in Toronto to discuss matters relating to human resources policy and management in government.

     Mr Law will conclude his visit on September 14 (Toronto time) and return to Hong Kong in the morning on September 16.

Ends/Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Issued at HKT 12:45

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