HYAB launches new round of HYAB - United Nations Volunteer Internship Programme
The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB), in partnership with the United Nations Volunteers, the Agency for Volunteer Service (AVS), the Hong Kong Volunteers Association and the Peace and Development Foundation, today (December 19) launched a new round of the HYAB - United Nations Volunteer Internship Programme. Local undergraduate students are welcome to apply.
In the 2025 Policy Address, the Chief Executive emphasised that the Government would continue to promote youth development. This includes providing more opportunities for young people to participate in the internships of international organisations and attend international conferences, in order to broaden their international horizons and cultivate a holistic outlook. The HYAB - United Nations Volunteer Internship Programme provides local undergraduate students with valuable opportunities to undertake six-month volunteer internships in the overseas field units of various United Nations (UN) agencies. Interns will be able to develop their personal capacities and gain insights into global issues, as well as contribute to the international community as Chinese youth volunteers. So far, around 150 students have participated in the Programme. The selected university students for the Programme in 2025 undertook internships in UN agencies located in different countries, including the UN Development Programme, the UN Children's Fund, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. By participating in international affairs, they contributed their expertise and acquired valuable work experience in international organisations.
The new round of the Programme will offer a total of 20 internship placements in different UN agencies located in the Belt and Road region, including Kazakhstan, Laos, Nepal, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The volunteer internships will cover specific areas, such as health and education, environment and innovation management, and will run from July to December 2026. Applicants should be full-time undergraduate students of local universities. The HYAB will provide full funding, including round-trip air tickets and monthly living allowances, and offer suitable pre-departure training for participants in collaboration with the AVS.
Details of the Programme are available on the designated webpage (www.avs.org.hk/eng/UNV). Interested young people should submit applications by noon on January 16, 2026.
Photo source: Screenshot of HYAB's video
Hospital Authority's statement regarding suspected incident of patient data being leaked on third-party platform
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The spokesperson for the Hospital Authority (HA) made the following statement today (April 4) regarding the suspected incident of patient data being leaked on a third-party platform:
The HA's routine monitoring system detected at around 2am yesterday (April 3) a suspected case of patient data being taken without authorisation and leaked on a third-party platform. The HA promptly reported the matter to the Police and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data in the morning, and will fully co-operate with the Police investigation and actions.
The more than 56 000 patients involved in the incident are from the Kowloon East Cluster. The leaked data contains information including patients' names, gender, Hong Kong identity card numbers, hospital file numbers, and details of surgical procedures.
The HA sincerely apologises to the affected patients and will take all practicable measures to minimise the impact on patients. The HA will notify the affected patients via the "HA Go" mobile application, mail and phone calls as soon as possible. The Kowloon East Cluster has also set up a dedicated hotline at 5215 7326 for patient enquiries. The hotline operates Monday to Sunday from 9am to 6pm. Patients may also leave messages outside of hotline operating hours and staff will respond as soon as possible.
The HA takes cybersecurity very seriously, and has conducted a thorough review of its internal network systems upon discovering the incident, confirming that the systems are operating normally and securely, with no indication of a cyberattack or similar factors. The HA immediately suspended the contractor's system maintenance work.
The HA has been continuously implementing various measures to strengthen its healthcare systems, including ongoing enhancements to cybersecurity safeguards, user security awareness, cybersecurity of critical infrastructure, as well as network monitoring and incident response capabilities. The HA will also collaborate with law enforcement agencies and cybersecurity organisations to enhance cybersecurity, so as to ensure appropriate protection of hospital operations, patient services, and personal data security. The HA also urges affected patients to remain vigilant and be alert to whether their personal data may be used for other purposes, take steps to protect their personal data such as changing passwords, and seek police assistance if necessary.
Source: AI-found images
