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The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam, attended the 6th Global Conference of the Alliance for Healthy Cities held at Tseung Kwan O today (October 29).
Mrs Lam gave a keynote speech at the opening session of the three-day conference, which is being attended by some 700 delegates from across the globe, mostly from the Asia-Pacific region. She shared with the delegates Hong Kong's experience in building a healthy city.
"Building healthy cities is no easy task in highly urbanised communities. It requires not only a robust health-care system but also cross-sectoral co-ordination and collaboration in different public policies, including those relating to the care and well-being of the elderly amidst an ageing population," Mrs Lam said.
She then detailed the major initiatives undertaken by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in several policy areas, including primary and preventive care, physical education in schools, air quality, public housing, age-friendly environments and barrier-free access and facilities, as well as district administration and Healthy City projects.
In concluding, Mrs Lam said that the HKSAR Government will continue to promote the important concept of building healthy cities through different policy objectives and looks forward to seeing greater participation by members of the public in social integration and various activities.
The Global Conference of the Alliance for Healthy Cities is a biennial international conference in which leaders, policymakers and academics from member cities come together to share knowledge and experiences of improving quality of life and building a common agenda on health, with the objective of strengthening the healthy cities network both locally and internationally.
The first Healthy City project in Hong Kong was initiated in Sai Kung District in 1997 with a view to engaging the community to promote health awareness and fostering collaborative efforts in building a healthy community. When the Alliance for Healthy Cities was inaugurated in 2004, Sai Kung and Kwai Tsing Districts were among the founding members. Twelve other districts in Hong Kong have joined the Alliance as members since then.
Ends/Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Issued at HKT 14:10
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