Press Releases

Women's Commission Conference to raise gender sensitivity

The Women's Commission is organising a conference with the theme of "women for a better tomorrow" on May 10 and 11 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

At its meeting on March 26, the Commission reviewed progress in the planning and organisation of the Women's Commission Conference 2002, which aims to raise public awareness of women-related issues and promote gender sensitivity within the community

Mr Tung Chee Hwa, the Chief Executive, will officiate at the opening session while the Director of UNIFEM, Ms Noeleen Heyzer, will deliver the keynote address. Prominent overseas speakers will also address the conference, including Former Chair of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, Dr Patricia Licuanan, and Director of Gender-Based Analysis of Status of Women Canada, Ms Helene Dwyer-Renaud. It is expected that the conference will capture the interest of many local participants.

In addition to plenary sessions, networking and break-out sessions are scheduled at the conference to allow participants to exchange ideas on gender mainstreaming, empowerment of women and public education, which are the three priority areas of work of the Women's Commission.

The Women's Commission has invited local women's groups and service agencies to participate in the conference. More than 30 Non-governmental Organisations (NGO) will take part in the conference "Marketplace", where they will showcase their work. In addition, over 60 community activities with women in focus will be held by different sectors of the community in May. These activities will include health checks for women, talks, seminars and courses, exhibitions and arts programmes. Full details will be available soon.

The conference is one of the activities to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Meanwhile, members of the public are welcome to visit the conference website www.women.gov.hk for more information. Registration for the conference will soon be open.

Also at the meeting on March 26, the Women's Commission held a joint session with the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), in which the two Commissions shared their progress of work and future plans. Summing up, the Chairperson of the Women's Commission, Mrs Sophie Leung Lau Yau-fun, said the Commission looked forward to opportunities of co-operation with the EOC in addressing gender-related issues and in promoting a fairer and better community.

As the Women's Commission has been established for more than a year now, Members feel that it is an opportune time to review the Commission's operation to ensure it continues to be effective in carrying out its mission, which is to enable women in Hong Kong to fully realize their due status, rights and opportunities in all aspects of life. A brainstorming session will be held in early June for this purpose.

End/Wednesday, March 27, 2002

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