Women's Commission welcomes 2023-24 Budget
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The Women's Commission (WoC) welcomed the initiatives on promoting women's development in the 2023-24 Budget delivered by the Financial Secretary today (February 22).
To strengthen the support to women, the Government has decided to set aside $100 million to strengthen support for women's development and the related tasks. The Chairman of the WoC, Ms Chan Yuen-han, said, "I am very delighted that the Government has accepted the recommendation of the WoC and women's groups and organisations and provided additional resources again to strengthen support for women's development and the related tasks. The provision of extra resources has addressed the request of women's groups to further bolster the work of the Women Empowerment Fund. The Fund was set up as announced in the Policy Address in October last year. $10 million was originally allocated to the Fund per annum in the next three years.
"I am pleased that the current-term Government has strived to deliver what the people call for. The Budget announced today responds to the wish of people again and has reserved a handsome amount of resources that would subsequently raise the annual funding to the Women Empowerment Fund and benefit more women. As the Chairman of the WoC, I am very grateful to the Government for the care and priority it has given to Hong Kong's women."
She continued, "The WoC would continue to work closely with the Government on the implementation details of the Women Empowerment Fund to ensure that community projects will be subsidised optimally. These projects will help women take up different roles in the job market, provide them with training on child and elderly care, promote their awareness on work and family life balance as well as mental health, etc." She also encouraged women's groups and non-governmental organisations to actively make good use of the Women Empowerment Fund, which will be rolled out later this year, to organise activities that help women in Hong Kong achieve a sense of self-fulfilment and bring out their fullest potential.
Ends/Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Issued at HKT 15:30
Issued at HKT 15:30
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