Happenings

Our Highlight
Event
Inclusive Employment Market cum Exhibition 2023: Inclusive Education & Employment – Business and School Partnership Scheme – Award Presentation Ceremony and Idea Exchange Session

Funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at The University of Hong Kong (the Centre) collaborates with four key NGO partners – CareER, Heep Hong Society, SAHK and St. James’ Settlement; and implements Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment. The three-year Project aims at encouraging […]

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Event
Knowledge Primer 6 – Realising Resource Circularity in Foodservice Industry

Dubbed as a world-famous food paradise, Hong Kong has a vibrant foodservice landscape. The vibrancy, however, comes with a huge amount of waste generated throughout the operations. Not only is it a waste of resources but also increases the operating cost. As part of the government’s strategy to achieve “#WasteReduction．#ResourcesCirculation．#ZeroLandfill”, both the forthcoming #municipalsolidwastechargingscheme and […]

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Research
Revitalising Hong Kong’s Abandoned Villages – Mui Tsz Lam & Kop Tong

What makes a good rural stewardship? The Forest Village Programme is an action research project initiated by the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at HKU, with the aim of bringing Mui Tsz Lam and Kop Tong back to life. Adopting the revitalisation cluster as the scaling up strategy, the HKU team expands its effort […]

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Award and Achievement
Faculty Knowledge Exchange Awards 2023

The Centre’s Rural Revitalisation project has won the Faculty KE Awards 2023 with its impact on enhancing civil society’s capacity and readiness for sustainability attainment using Rural Revitalisation as the action domain. You may find out more about the Project and its impact with this link: https://www.ke.hku.hk/assets/doc/KEAward/2023/SocialSciences.pdf The Faculty Knowledge Exchange (KE) Awards were introduced […]

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Event
Knowledge Primer 5 – “Scaling Circularity through Transformative Technologies and Business Model Innovations”

You are cordially invited to the fifth Knowledge Primer (KP) titled “Scaling Circularity through Transformative Technologies and Business Model Innovation” under the “Partnership for Sustainability Leadership in Business” (PSLB) project, initiated by the Centre for Civil Society and Governance (CCSG) of HKU with support from The Hongkong Bank Foundation. Waste challenge has always been painstaking in Hong Kong. The […]

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Event

Knowledge Primer 2 – “Innovation for Sustainability: Improving Corporate Innovation Capacity”

14:30 - 16:30

You are cordially invited to the second Knowledge Primer (KP2) titled “Innovation for Sustainability: Improving Corporate Innovation Capacity” under the Partnership for Sustainability Leadership in Business (PSLB), initiated by the Centre for Civil Society and Governance (CCSG) of The University of Hong Kong. The surge in attention to corporates’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance and demand for corporate actions on environmental and social challenges calls for a shifting mindset from conceiving businesses as merely product and service providers in economic terms, to ones that create environmental and social values. When the conventional ways of doing business are deemed unsustainable to the society, building a company’s innovative capacity is key to transit towards sustainability. PSLB’s second Knowledge Primer (KP2) will shed light on the approaches to building corporate innovation capacity for attaining sustainability goals. The KP includes a panel discussion where distinguished practitioners will exchange views on how new technologies, cross-sector partnership, business incubation and creative employee engagement etc. could improve the innovation capacity of companies to drive more sustainability solutions. The event details are as follows:   Date: January 7, 2022 (Friday) Time: 2:30pm – 4:30pm Venue CPD 3.04, 3/F, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, The University of Hong Kong (with live streaming) Language: Cantonese *Due to pandemic measures, there will be a limited capacity at the venue. Seats will be allocated through advance booking on a first-come-first-served basis. **If you have respiratory symptoms on the event date, please seek medical advice promptly and attend the event online.

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Media

How neglected Lai Chi Wo village became culturally vibrant, Unesco-award-winning farming settlement

(Copyright © 2022 South China Morning Post)

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Event

Village Fest is back for 2022!

After a virtual edition last year, Village Fest is back for 2022, running from January to April with a showcase of village life through tours, placemaking installations, market and activities across Lai Chi Wo, Mui Tsz Lam and Kop Tong. Hosted by the HSBC Rural Sustainability Programme, Village Fest comes to its third annual celebration of sustainable rural regeneration in Hong Kong. Themed “Tomorrow Village Today”, this year’s Village Fest brings you on a village living journey through exploration, sharing, experiment, co-creation and reflection. Four core events include self-guided “Village Tour”; “Village Market” that is held every first Saturday of each month; experimental “Village life Lab” and urban “Village pop-up Market”. Making reference to the rural living experiences of Lai Chi Wo, Mui Tsz Lam and Kop Tong, Village Fest 2022 invites you and those in the local communities to envision the village of tomorrow today! Please follow our Instagram and stay tuned for more updates：https://www.instagram.com/villagelifezine/ Due to the latest disease prevention measures, all workshops scheduled in January of “Village Fest 2022: Tomorrow Village Today ” will be postponed and public registration will not be accepted temporarily.

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Award and Achievement

HKU Awarded by AIA Hong Kong Chapter for Lai Chi Wo Revitalisation

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Hong Kong Chapter has conferred an AIA Hong Kong Citation 2021 to Lai Chi Wo Village in recognition of its significant contributions to architecture and built environment in the Chapter’s region. The HKU Centre for Civil Society and Governance, which has initiated and implemented two consecutive programmes – “Sustainable Lai Chi Wo” and “HSBC Rural Sustainability Programme” – since 2013, is honoured to receive this award at the award ceremony on November 16, 2021 together with other organisations which have been making undaunted efforts in revitalising the desolate historic Hakka village of Lai Chi Wo in the north-eastern New Territories. Lai Chi Wo Village and Tsim Sha Tsui Harbourfront Revitalisation were selected to receive AIA Hong Kong Citations this year for their achievement in promoting the value of architecture in society and for raising public awareness of issues related to the built environment. Lai Chi Wo Village is awarded “for the ongoing collaborative efforts of individuals and organizations in heritage conservation of this historic Hakka walled settlement including revitalisation of its traditional farming and cultural landscapes together with a number of the houses, thereby promoting sustainable rural community development and encouraging effective control over rural land use in the New Territories”. Led by the HKU team and Lai Chi Wo Pui Shing Tong Committee (the owner), other awardees include The Hong Kong Countryside Foundation, The Conservancy Association, Produce Green Foundation, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC), The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, and the Countryside Conservation Office of the HKSAR Government. With the support from HSBC, HKU Centre for Civil Society and Governance launched the “Sustainable Lai Chi Wo Programme” in 2013 in collaboration with the local villagers, non-profits, experts in related fields, and volunteers. The programme aims to replenish and revitalise the disappearing social and natural capitals of the desolate traditional farming landscape at Lai Chi Wo. After the “Sustainable Lai Chi Wo Programme” successfully completed in 2017, the Centre has received further support from HSBC and launched a new phase of the programme titled “HSBC Rural Sustainability” which focuses on mobilising actions of the local community by socio-economic models emphasising the role of rural community for the benefit of Hong Kong society. The project proudly received the inaugural Special Recognition for Sustainable Development in the 2020 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation and the award presentation ceremony will be held on November 28, 2021 at Lai Chi Wo. For project details, please visit https://ccsg.hku.hk/ruralsd/ The AIA is based in Washington, D.C., and has been the world’s leading professional membership association for licensed architects, emerging professionals and allied partners since 1857. Photos: Click here to download For media enquiries, please contact: Ms Sianna Yiu, Centre for Civil Society and Governance, HKU (Tel: 9732-0103; email: [email protected])

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Event

Leveraging Resources for Inclusive Employment for People with Disabilities

14:00 - 17:30

Inclusive employment of people with disabilities (PWD) is an important aspect of social inclusion. As a signature event of Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment, this seminar will focus on understanding the current situation of inclusive employment and exploring the possibilities of leveraging community resources and collective efforts to facilitate inclusive employment of PWD. At the seminar, the one-stop Platform for Inclusion website will be launched. Also, preliminary key findings from a community-wide survey on Hong Kong people’s views towards inclusive employment of PWD will be released during a panel discussion. Details of the seminar are as follows – Date: 6/11/2021 (Saturday) Time: 14:00 – 17:30 Venue: Rayson Huang Theatre, HKU Language: Cantonese, supplemented with sign language Mode: Approximately 180 onsite participants and Facebook live   Let’s join hands to achieve inclusive employment! Register here NOW – https://ccsg-hku.surveycake.biz/s/wewgO

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Media

Building the Metaverse Responsibly

(Copyright © 2021 Facebook)

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Research

HKU and Facebook jointly launched “Tech for Good Initiative” to strengthen public policy research on new technologies

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) announced the launch of the “Tech for Good Initiative” today (September 17), at the Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony with Facebook Hong Kong. In collaboration with Facebook, Tech for Good Initiative” promises to strengthen institutional innovations with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data in governance and public policy in a manner that is socially embedded, conducive to sustainability, and compatible with inclusive growth. Professor Wai-Fung Lam, Director of the Centre for Civil Society and Governance of HKU, and Mr. George Chen, Director of Public Policy for Greater China, Mongolia, and Central Asia of Facebook represented the two parties in signing the MoU. It was witnessed by Professor Paul Yip, Acting Dean of Social Sciences of HKU, and Ms. Jayne Leung, Vice President and Head of Greater China of Facebook. As part of the“Tech for Good Initiative” framework, HKU and Facebook have co-designed a new course “AI Policy Lab – Opportunities and Challenges in Digital Governance” (POLI8023 / SLGP7104), which will be taught by HKU scholars from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Facebook experts from different fields including Public Policy, Corporate Sustainability, Data Privacy, Automation, Misinformation, Legal and Content Regulations. The course will be open to students of HKU’s Master of Public Administration (MPA), Master of International and Public Affairs (MIPA) and Master of Social Sciences in the field of Sustainability Leadership and Governance (MSocSc SLG) programmes. Besides, HKU will collaborate with Facebook to launch the new “Facebook-HKU Scholarship in Public Policy” to support a number of students and young scholars every year to conduct public policy research projects focussing on AI, AR/VR, ethics, cybersecurity and public policy-related areas. Facebook will also make a donation to HKU as a research grant. “Tech for Good Initative” will be housed at the Centre for Civil Society and Governance, with two co-directors overseeing the initative: Professor Wai-Fung Lam, representing HKU and Mr. George Chen, representing Facebook. Professor Wai-Fung Lam said: “I’m glad to bring HKU and Facebook together to launch this meaningful initiative, which will be an exciting one where a slew of teaching, research and community outreach activities will follow. HKU students will have the opportunity to enroll in a field trip to Facebook’s headquarters in Silicon Valley and the new Facebook Scholarships in Public Policy will be set up soon, which will benefit many young scholars. We expect the research and community outreach programmes to further build up an enabling ecosystem for the ethical use of AI and Big Data in the attainment of a sustainable society.” Mr. George Chen added, “The collaboration with HKU complements Facebook’s existing partnerships with other renowned academic institutions internationally. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to bring many leading HKU scholars and Facebook experts together to jointly tackle some emerging challenges in the interplay between technology and policy and I also look forward to some high quality research papers to be published annually through the “Tech for Good Initiative” that will certainly bring policy implications to Hong Kong and beyond.” Three series of research papers, namely, Tech for Resilience, Tech for Commoning, and Tech for Public Governance will be published for three consective years under the “Tech for Good Initative” framework. As part of the community outreach programme, an action research with a focus on AI in commoning will be launched in 2022. The project will seek to engage keen stakeholders in the civil society as well as members of the wider community. More details will be announced later this year. To find out more, please visit https://ccsg.hku.hk/tgi-about/. Please find high-res photos here.

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Media

Ethics in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research for the Asia Pacific Roundtable

On September 10, 2021 (Friday), Facebook and the Centre for Civil Society and Governance (CCSG) of The University of Hong Kong hosted the Ethics in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Initiative for the Asia Pacific Roundtable. Over 100 experts, practitioners, and academia in the field of ethical use of AI have registered to attend. The Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (Privacy Commissioner), Hong Kong, Ms Ada CHUNG Lai-ling, delivered the Keynote Address to open the Roundtable. In her speech, the Privacy Commissioner discussed the governance of artificial intelligence (AI) and elaborated on the “Guidance on the Ethical Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence” recently published by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD). Presenters, who are the awardees of the Request for Proposals for AI ethics research in the Asia Pacific region, shared their research progress, initial findings ,and lessons learnt to the international audience. Several rounds of fruitful discussion were conducted after the presentations moderated by members of the Vetting Committee and experts from the field who served as discussants. Session moderators and discussants offered invaluable and constructive feedback to the awardees. Early impact of the research works was highlighted in the discussions. The Roundtable was a success and all participants enjoyed the knowledge-sharing and exchange. New connections and networks were established between those who participated and are committed to contribute to the development of the ethical use of AI-driven technology. It is the shared goal of Facebook and CCSG to promote and support the work on using technology for social good, and these institutions are set to announce future collaborative initiatives soon.

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Media

Organic coffee grown and roasted in Hong Kong the fruit of a sustainable farming project in roadless corner of New Territories

(Copyright © 2021 South China Morning Post)

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