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Social Welfare

Elderly Commission

The Elderly Commission advises the government on policy and services for the elderly. It places emphasis on promoting 'active ageing' and advising on the means to enhance further long- term care services for the elderly.

In the 2013-14 school year, the Elder Academy Scheme (jointly launched by the commission and the government), had 108 academies operating, with 101 in schools and the rest in tertiary education institutions.

At the community level, the Neighbourhood Active Ageing Project encourages care and love for elderly persons and reaches out to elderly people who are unfamiliar with the existing network of community support. Sixty-nine district projects to foster harmonious family relations and enhance neighbourhood support networks are being carried out from 2012 to 2014.

Women's Commission

The Women's Commission promotes the well-being and interests of women in Hong Kong. It advises the government on policies related to women to ensure that women's perspectives are taken into account in the formulation of government policies.

The commission comprises 24 members. The chairperson is a non-official member. Through the provision of an enabling environment, empowerment of women, and public education, the commission aims to enable women in Hong Kong to fully realise their due status, rights and opportunities in all aspects of life.

On the commission's advice, the government has gradually introduced gender mainstreaming in different policy areas to provide an enabling environment. A Gender Mainstreaming Checklist was drawn up to help civil servants take a systematic approach in assessing the needs and perspectives of both men and women when formulating government policies. Gender-related training has also been provided to over 7,000 civil servants of different grades and ranks since 2001. All bureaus and departments have their own Gender Focal Points through which matters. concerning gender mainstreaming can be channelled.

The commission has implemented various initiatives to help women realise their potential, including the Capacity Building Mileage Programme (CBMP) aimed at enhancing women's self- confidence, learning abilities and life skills.The CBMP is carried out in collaboration with the Open University of Hong Kong, a radio station and over 70 women's groups and NGOs. By the end of 2013, the CBMP enrolments had exceeded 67,000, in addition to the large audience reached through relevant radio programmes. Face-to-face courses taught in English and Putonghua were offered from March to encourage applications from ethnic minority women and newly arrived women.

The Funding Scheme for Women's Development, launched in 2012, provides annual funding of $2 million for women's groups and NGOs providing women's services to organise relevant programmes and activities at regional and district levels.

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