Delegation from Hong Kong Headed to Geneva for UN Meetings

February 10, 2023February 10, 2023 Noah 0 Comments

A delegation from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government will participate in the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights meetings held in Geneva, Switzerland from February 15th to 16th. The delegation, as part of the Chinese delegation, will present to the Committee the relevant portion of China’s third report under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, pertaining to the SAR, and respond to the Committee’s inquiries regarding the implementation of the ICESCR in the HKSAR, as stated in a recent statement by a government spokesman.

This marks the fourth examination of the HKSAR’s submitted report under the ICESCR by the Committee since 1997, with the previous hearing taking place in May 2014, the spokesman added. Gracie Foo, Permanent Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, will head the delegation, which will consist of representatives from various departments including the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, Security Bureau, Education Bureau, Labour and Welfare Bureau, Department of Justice, Labour Department, and Immigration Department.

The HKSAR government is strongly dedicated to preserving the rights and freedoms of the city’s residents as protected by law, the spokesman emphasized. Since Hong Kong’s return to China, human rights in the city have consistently been securely guaranteed by both the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and the Basic Law. The Basic Law’s Article 39 states that the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights as they apply to Hong Kong will remain in effect, the spokesman noted.

Since the previous hearing, the HKSAR government has taken significant actions across various policy areas to advance the long-term economic, social, and cultural progress of the city, taking into account the unique circumstances of Hong Kong, the spokesman concluded.