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e-Bridge is our tri-yearly newsletter. It aims to keep our members informed of the Council' s major international and regional activities and features hot international and regional issues which are of special concern to the welfare sector. |
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4th Issue - May 2004 |
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| International and Regional News | |||
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1. Social Challenges From Cross-border Loopholes: Urgent Attention Deserves |
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| Compared to the late 80's, the number of people who work in the Mainland has increased by more than 4 times, amounting to more than 200,000. It has been a very clear pattern that more and more Hong Kong people will have to lead a nomadic life, either traveling back and forth from the Mainland or stationing there for a relatively long period. Obviously, the living environment of this group of nomads has kept expanding. But living in one expanded socio-geographic space with two different sets of rules and regulations of different administrations and systems or two (or more) different sets of norms, cultures and social practices of different localities is full of social challenges. What are these social challenges? Public security, medical and health, environment, and we can name a lot of these themes. But how do those crossing the border experience them as social challenges? We have initially talked with different people, including representatives from our Agency Members, businessman, and white-collar workers who have had some "cross-border" working experiences. From the perspective of a normal Hong Kong white-collar employee who has taken for granted the basic protections under one single administration, the reality of living with two different administrations creates loopholes that give rise to uncertainties and confusions, hence anxieties, in terms of labour protection, medical service and protection, personal security and so on. The lack of guarantee for all these basic protections have created different impacts on the life course of these cross-border people, depending on the frequency, regularity and nature of their cross-border activities. While the employees who are required to go to the Mainland once a month, for example, may take those trips as new exposure, positive challenge, or even "relaxation" from their normal tight schedule in Hong Kong, those who need to go back and forth every single day will find this border-crossing routine highly disruptive and disturbing to their life course. While losing basic protections, social supports, public services provided by the administration in Hong Kong, they can enjoy nothing comparable in the other side of the border. Business border-crossers have also experienced those loopholes resulted from different administrations, but these loopholes tend to create room for them to manoeuvre for the advantages of their businesses. Sufferers are those who are not flexible enough or have established less effective business networks to take those advantages left by the administrative vaccum, though a choice of withdrawing from the market is always there. Even for those who can take those advantages, they do face negative impacts from those loopholes at times when they are among the general residents. While their relative advantages in terms of wealth, network and resources have helped them buy more security and protections, thereby reducing the social uncertainties, these advantages, when exposed to an environment of low public order and security, become the targets of the criminals among the economically and socially deprived/disoriented population in the Pearl River Delta region. The social service agencies should normally come in to work with both the socially disturbed border-crossers and the economically and socially deprived population in the cross-border region (the Pearl River Delta region) that cause threats to the border-crossers. However, they were caught by no less administrative barriers resulted from having two uncoordinated administrations within one expanded socio-geographic region. To render just a minimum level of support and assistance would require them to spend months or years in identifying local partners, establishing relationship, negotiating project agreements, hence taking all the administrative, financial and professional risks associated with embarking on a service project. These are no easy tasks. Bound by project agreements, limited access to data, lack of public finance and policy commitment, room is only allowed for them to do short-term piecemeal projects. All these leave them with a situation which is not any better than that of other groups of border-crossers or the regional socially deprived. They themselves are forced to be nomads who need help before they can help others. Since there is a lack of cross-border coordinated networks, institutions or mechanisms to harmonize or bridge the two administrations, the nomadic lives of different groups of border-crossers are now full of odds or difficulties. They venture into the new regional economic integration and serve as the social pioneers constantly exposed to a wide range of social challenges, but they have to negotiate for room themselves individually in order to live effectively in the expanded social environment in which two different administrations and two different cultures are in place. They are now socially alone and in need of urgent attention. |
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| 2. Seminar on "Social Issues Arising from GuangDong-Hong Kong Economic Integration" and Visit to GuangDong Province |
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| In view of the lack of high-level attention to the social implications of GuangDong-Hong Kong economic cooperation, the Council is going to organize jointly with the Center for Development Research, the People's Government of GuangDong Province, a seminar for initial exchanges of observations by both sides of the border on the social development issues or social problems that need to be followed up. The seminar is now tentatively scheduled for June 7, 2003, and will be followed up a courtesy visit to relevant government bodies or social organizations in GuangDong Province on June 8, 2003. |
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| The Bureau of NGOs Administration, Ministry of Civil Affairs, has published a new regulation on the management of charitable foundations in March 2004. The new regulation takes effect this June. The new rules are aimed at strengthening the management of foundations. They have defined in more detail concepts of public welfare nature of foundations, mobilization of resources and fundraising activities, supervision by the government and the public, and tax preferential policies. In summary, the major difference includes a significant increase in the threshold of registered capital. For national foundations with public fundraising activities, the threshold is 8 million renminibi yuans (equivalent to around US$965,000), while for regional foundations and foundations that do not raise money publicly, the threshold is 4 million yuans (equivalent to around US$482,000) and 2 million yuans (equivalent to around US$241,000) respectively. Foreign foundations, as well as those from Hong Kong and Macau, are allowed to set up offices in the Mainland. However, these foundations cannot engage in fundraising activities. The newly established regulations on charitable foundations are highly relevant to the work of our Core Business. One of our business goals this year is to facilitate our social service sector to grasp the development about registration of social service related institutions in the Mainland, with an aim to facilitate the provision of social services in the Mainland by NGOs in Hong Kong. More details on the activities will be announced in our website soon. In the meantime, please visit our website: www.hkcss.org.hk/cb5/cb5_works_chi1.htm For more details about the new regulations, please refer to the website of Bureau of NGOs Administration: www.chinanpo.gov.cn:8080/front/index.jsp |
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| 4. Seminar on "Inside "NPC" and "CPPCC": Revision of Constitution and Its Implications for New Agenda on Social Development" (April 20, 2004) |
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| In
the National People's Congress (NPC) and Chinese People's Political
Consultative Conference (CPPCC) meetings in March 2004, the 4th
revision of Constitution of the People's Republic of China was endorsed.
This revision has marked a historic change in the Constitutional
history of China. Among all the endorsed amendments, the most eye-catching
ones are on: |
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| 1. Council's participation in the 31st International Conference on ICSW |
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Our Council has always been an active member in ICSW and has maintained active exchanges with overseas communities and facilitated the local welfare sector in keeping abreast of the international agenda on welfare issues. For the upcoming 31st ICSW International Conference, a working group has been formed at the suggestion of our Standing Committee to undertake preparation work for the Council's participation. Members who are interested in making presentation or participating the conference can contact our Core Business for more details. |
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A training workshop on "Women-Centred Social Service in Hong Kong ¡V Theory and Practices" was held on Jan 14, 2004. Over 20 participants had spent a morning on the exploration of the major concepts underlying women-centred social service and CEDAW. Participants expected that more such training workshop could be organized for Agency Members and frontline workers before CEDAW could be understood and effectively implemented in the Hong Kong. In March 2004, the United Nations Committee on Discrimination Against Women received a national report from China, which has incorporated the Hong Kong SAR's Report. While the time for hearing has not been confirmed, it is very likely that it will take place in next January. In view of this, local women's organizations have been working on a number of initiatives. The shadow report is underway; a seminar will be jointly organized by the Centre on Comparative and Public Law and Centre of Women's Studies, HKU, and our Council in June. The seminar is expected to introduce both the government¡¦s report and the shadow report and help local concerned groups get themselves familiar with them. What is more, to prepare for the coming hearing, a local CEDAW education resource network is now planning to have a few modules of training on both the content of CEDAW and the lobby tactics for attending the UN hearing. Details are still being discussed. |
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| 3. International Convention on Protecting Persons with Disabilities | |||
| - A Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities The 3rd Ad Hoc Committee Meeting on the captioned convention will be held from May 24-June 4, 2004. At its second session in 2003, the Ad Hoc Committee decided to form a Working Group with the aim of preparing a draft text of a convention, which would become the groundwork for negotiation of Member States. The Working Group met in New York in January 2004 and prepared a draft convention which would be presented in the coming Ad Hoc Committee meeting. NGOs from different countries are working hard to make sure their views will be included in the Convention. A lot of negotiations among NGOs, governments and UN representatives have been taking place. The Meeting is an important part of the whole consultative process as the concerns of our local rehabilitation sector could be better conveyed. Therefore we have formed a delegation to attend this 3rd Session Meeting. Colleague from CB2 (Rehabilitation), Mr Kuo Chun Chuen, will be joining the 2nd week meeting. For more details
about the convention, please visit the following site: |
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The 7th International Conference of Human Services Information Technology Applications (HUSITA7) |
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| Here are some updates about the Conference: Programme of the Keynote Session includes: "e-Development
for Knowledge Economy, Institutional Change and Social Inclusion"
- Dr Nagy Hanna, Senior Advisor, e-Development, The World Bank Besides, the Conference has invited distinguished experts to share with us their knowledge in the areas of ¡§Country Report on Digital Inclusion Policy and Application¡¨, ¡§Rehabilitation, Assistive Technology and Universal Design¡¨, ¡§IT Education and Training in Human Service Professionals¡¨ and ¡§Community-based Resource Sharing and ICT¡¨. We will have over 50 experienced professionals sharing their ICT projects, research fi ndings and experience. The Projects are including Health Case Management, ICT in Patient-centred Hospital, Community-based e-Care Plan, Online Support Groups for Patients and their Families, Social Service Evaluation and Administrative System, ICT and Empowerment, Website for All, e-learning and Distance Learning etc. More information will be available on the website. Conference programme includes Keynote and Plenary Sessions, Workshops and Symposia which shall stimulate discussions on the Conference theme and sub-themes in relation to the human service development. We now offer more options of registration for our local participants. Click here to download our lastest leaflet. |
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| Council's Participation in International and Regional Events |
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Delegations (Jan-April 04) Sent: |
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| Top of Page | |||
Delegations in Preparation: |
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| Your suggestions and comments are most welcome. You can contact the following staff of the Core Business on International and Regional Networking: Mr
CHUA Hoi-wai Mr
Anthony WONG Ms Teresa FUNG Ms
Erinyes CHOW |
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