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THURSDAY, JULY 7, 1994
FAC'S
THE FOURTH AREA CONCERNS HUMAN RIGHTS. I VERY MUCH SHARE THE VIEW THAT HUMAN RIGHTS NEED TO BE SAFEGUARDED AND STRENGTHENED IN HONG KONG. THIS IS IMPORTANT BOTH FOR THE PRESENT AND FOR THE FUTURE. TO ACHIEVE THIS IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE SET OURSELVES THE AIM OF ACHIEVING THIS OBJECTIVE IN WAYS THAT ARE BOTH EFFECTIVE AND DURABLE.
WE WEIGHED UP CAREFULLY THE PROS AND CONS OF SETTING UP A HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION HERE. IN THE END WE DECIDED THAT THAT WAS NOT THE BEST WAY FORWARD FOR HONG KONG. HONG KONG HAS A GOOD HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD: ONE BUILT ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE RULE OF LAW, A TRULY INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY AND AN EFFECTIVE BILL OF RIGHTS ORDINANCE. WE BELIEVE ALL THESE SAFEGUARDS PROVIDE A SOUND BASE FOR PROTECTING HUMAN RIGHTS IN HONG KONG, BOTH NOW AND BEYOND 1997.
INSTEAD OF CREATING AN ENTIRELY NEW INSTITUTION WITH A WIDE- RANGING BUT IMPRECISE REMIT IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN RIGHTS, WE CONCLUDED THAT IT WAS PREFERABLE ΤΟ RELY ON AND TO STRENGTHEN EXISTING INSTITUTIONS AND TO FOCUS ON AREAS OF SPECIFIC CONCERN.
TO THIS END WE HAVE DONE, OR ARE DOING, THE FOLLOWING
A)
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LEGISLATION
WE HAVE ANNOUNCED THAT WE WILL BE INTRODUCING AGAINST SEX DISCRIMINATION, ESTABLISHING AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMISSION AND SEEKING TO EXTEND CEDAW TO HONG KONG.
WE
ARE PUSHING AHEAD WITH DRAFT LEGISLATION TO PROHIBIT DISCRIMINATION ON THE GROUNDS OF DISABILITY.
B)
C)
WE WILL BE INCREASING THE RESOURCES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION BY CREATING A DEDICATED TEAM AND ALLOCATING $20M FOR THEIR WORK OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS.
D)
E)
F)
G)
WE WILL BE PROVIDING MORE RESOURCES TO THE JUDICIARY TO ENABLE IT TO REDUCE THE WAITING TIME FOR BRINGING CASES TO TRIAL. WE ARE ALSO CONSIDERING MEASURES TO ENSURE THAT THE RESOURCES WHICH ARE BEING GIVEN ARE USED MORE EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY.
THE LEGAL AID WORKING GROUP IS CONSIDERING MEASURES то IMPROVE THE AVAILABILITY OF LEGAL AID IN BILL OF RIGHTS CASES. THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MADE KNOWN QUITE SOON. THE GROUP WILL ALSO BE MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS TO ENHANCE THE INDEPENDENCE OF LEGAL AID ADMINISTRATION.
A
WE HAVE RECENTLY ANNOUNCED A PLAN TO DEVELOP AND ADOPT CODE OF PRACTICE TO INCREASE THE TRANSPARENCY OF THE GOVERNMENT. THIS TOGETHER WITH OUR PLANS TO INTRODUCE LEGISLATION IN THE AREA OF DATA PROTECTION, WILL GO A LONG WAY TOWARDS MEETING THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE COMMUNITY FOR GREATER ACCESS TO INFORMATION.
IMPORTANT WORK IS ALREADY UNDER WAY IN OTHER AREAS. WE HAVE, FOR EXAMPLE, MADE CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS IN ENSURING THAT ALL LEGISLATION IS CONSISTENT WITH THE ICCPR AND THE BILL OF RIGHTS. AND WE HAVE STRENGTHENED THE ROLE OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINTS AS AN EFFECTIVE COMPLAINTS CHANNEL.
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