Sixteen young civil servants from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) are set to take up assignments at the United Nations (UN), bringing expertise from areas ranging from financial services and engineering to meteorology, policing and anti-corruption to the international stage.
The third batch of HKSAR young public officers recommended by the Central Government of the People's Republic of China will be taking up positions in the UN through the UN Junior Professional Officer (JPO) programme. The launch ceremony was held at the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (OCMFA) in the HKSAR today (Sept. 8).
The sixteen participants, the largest cohort since the launch of the programme, will gradually depart from September for two-year assignments at UN Headquarters and offices in Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi.
HK youth step onto the global stage
Speaking at the ceremony, Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the HKSAR Cui Jianchun said sending outstanding HK young people to work at the UN was an important initiative supported by the central government, allowing them to gain experience and develop their capabilities on a broader international stage.
He said the growing participation of HK young civil servants in the UN reflected the country's care and support for HK youth, while also highlighting the city's unique strengths.
With their proficiency in Chinese and English as well as spoken Putonghua, together with their exposure to both Chinese and Western cultures, HK young people possess distinctive advantages in professional expertise and international perspectives, Cui said.
He also pointed to the increasingly complex international environment, with unilateralism and protectionism on the rise, saying the UN needs more talent capable of responding to global challenges and exploring new areas of global governance.
HK, he added, has particular strengths in areas including finance, intellectual property, anti-corruption and meteorology, and is well positioned to contribute more to global governance.
HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee said HK's young civil servants working in international organizations represent the city's professional strengths and practical experience in a range of important fields.
He said their participation would help the city contribute to the country's international commitments and work with the international community to address the challenges of the times.
Lee also highlighted HK's role in aligning with national development strategies and serving as an important window for exchanges between Chinese and Western civilizations.
He encouraged the third batch of JPO participants to keep three things in mind —the country, HKSAR and the world—and to build on the achievements of the first two batches.
He called on them to become pioneers in contributing to national rejuvenation, a driving force for HK's high-quality development, and "super-connectors" and "super value-adders" linking the city with the rest of the world.
Taking HK expertise to the world
For the young civil servants, the assignment is not simply about gaining international exposure. It is also an opportunity to showcase what HK can contribute to the international community.
Felix Yung, Assistant Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, said his work in HK had focused largely on how the city could align itself with international rules and standards.
At the UN, he hopes to look at HK and the country "from the world's perspective" and bring his experience in multilateral organizations back to HK and the country.
He also encouraged young people in HK to be willing to try and explore.
"If you never try, you will never know how much you can contribute or how far you can go," he said.
Cindy Lam, Scientific Officer at the Hong Kong Observatory, hopes to showcase HK's professional expertise and inclusive culture.
She noted the Observatory's strong international reputation, including its work involving artificial intelligence, and said she hoped to continue demonstrating HK's capabilities at the UN.
"One of the most important qualities of HK people is how inclusive we are," Lam said, adding that HK people had become accustomed to international exchanges and were willing to embrace new challenges and knowledge.
She also hopes to bring back insights into how the international community approaches new technologies and discoveries.
For Senior Inspector of Police Danyl Wu, the experience will be an opportunity to showcase the efficiency and professionalism of HK's civil service.
"The HKSAR Government is one of the most efficient government bodies in the world," Wu said. "I hope to bring the efficiency of HK's civil servants, as well as our international perspective, to the UN and contribute."
In return, he hopes to gain a broader perspective on global governance and strengthen his multilateral negotiation skills.
Meanwhile, Engineer Leo Ng, who took part in the second batch, offered a different perspective on how HK can be represented overseas.
He said his experience showed that cultural exchange did not always have to centre on major social or political issues. International colleagues were often curious about everyday life in HK, giving him opportunities to share the city's East-West cultural fusion through casual conversations and daily interactions.
From HK to the UN-and back
For Cindy Ho, the experience of working at the UN was not only about bringing HK's professional expertise to the international stage, but also about helping the world gain a better understanding of the city.
Ho, currently Acting Chief Investigator of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), was part of the second batch of HK JPOs and spent three years at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime from 2023 to 2026.
Looking back, Ho said one of the most important things she could do at the UN was to tell HK's story through direct exchanges with people from around the world.
HK, she noted, has achieved world-leading rankings in many areas and has many unique strengths. But as the international environment becomes increasingly complex, she said HK could sometimes be subject to misunderstandings, distortions and negative portrayals by international media.
Against this backdrop, she saw her time at the UN as an opportunity to introduce the real HK to people from different countries and regions and highlight the city's strengths.
She also made a point of inviting international colleagues to visit HKSAR and China, hoping they could see the development for themselves and gain a more direct understanding through personal experience.
Professionally, Ho said the experience had given her a deeper understanding of global politics, multilateral negotiations, China's foreign affairs and foreign policy, and how Chinese professionals could contribute to the work of the UN.
She was also able to bring the ICAC's anti-corruption expertise to the international arena. With more than 50 years of experience in fighting corruption, the ICAC had valuable practical experience to share with international counterparts and participants in anti-corruption training programmes, she said.
Now back in HK, Ho identified three ways in which she could put her international experience to use.
First, she said the experience could help young people better support HK's alignment with the country's 15th Five-Year Plan and the implementation of HK's first five-year development plan.
Young people working in international organizations, she said, could play an important role as "super-connectors" and "super value-adders", bringing back knowledge gained at the UN—including an understanding of global governance and skills in intergovernmental negotiations—to HK.
Second, she hopes to bring back the spirit of diversity and inclusiveness she experienced in the international environment and put it into practice in everyday life and work.
Third, her experience could also be shared within the ICAC itself.
Since returning, Ho said colleagues had been curious about what she did at the UN. By sharing her experiences with them, she hopes to help colleagues better understand how HK can leverage its unique strengths and engage with the international community amid an increasingly complex global environment.
For the third batch of HK JPOs, Ho hopes they will remain open-minded and embracing when entering a multicultural environment, while using their professional expertise to contribute to the international community.
More importantly, she hopes they will serve as a bridge between the country and the world, bringing what they learn back to HK and turning their international experience into something that can benefit the city and the country.
"Keep your passion and contribute your expertise to the international arena," she said.
HK first sent five young civil servants to the JPO programme in 2019, followed by 12 in 2023. The programme provides young professionals with opportunities to gain practical experience in multilateral cooperation while working under the guidance of UN professionals. Previous HK participants have received positive evaluations from the UN, with some having their assignments extended.
Related News:
Comment