Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan Prioritizes Women's Development and Mentorship Programs.

Women's Commission welcomes Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan and the Chief Executive's 2026 Policy Address

The following is issued on behalf of the Women's Commission:

The Women's Commission (WoC) welcomes the strategies and policy initiatives for promoting women's development set out in the First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026-2030) (Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan) and the Chief Executive's 2026 Policy Address (Policy Address) announced by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, today (September 16).

Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan states that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will empower women to realise their potential by creating an environment conducive to driving women's development, protecting their rights and promoting their well-being. The Government will also strive to empower women across all roles, social positions and life stages so that they can realise their multifaceted potential amid Hong Kong's high-quality development. In addition, the Chief Executive announced in the Policy Address that the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) will extend the "She Inspires" Mentorship Programme by three years to broaden the horizons of more female university students.

It is also mentioned in the Policy Address Supplement that the HYAB will continue to take forward initiatives in advancing women's development. These include making optimal use of the Women Empowerment Fund to subsidise women's organisations and non-government organisations for launching more projects that support women; hosting high-level forums, such as the Hong Kong Family and Women Development Summit, to gather relevant stakeholders' views; keeping the one-stop family and women information portal under review and enriching its content; and continuing to implement the Maintenance Mediation Pilot Scheme under the Community Care Fund.

Commenting on the strategies and policy initiatives set out in Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan and the Policy Address, the Chairperson of the WoC, Dr Eliza Chan, said, "Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan includes dedicated content on women's development, providing clear policy directions for advancing women's development in Hong Kong. This fully demonstrates the HKSAR Government's great emphasis on, and firm commitment to, women's development. The work not only responds to the multifaceted needs of women in Hong Kong, but also dovetails with the national direction of promoting women's all-round development and safeguarding women's rights and interests."

Dr Chan added, "The Chief Executive's announcement in the Policy Address to extend the 'She Inspires' Mentorship Programme by three years also reflects the Government's commitment to nurturing young women. The results of the first cohort have been encouraging. Many graduating mentees who have completed the programme said that it had helped strengthen their aspirations for career development and enabled them to better understand their own strengths and future directions. The extension of the programme will provide more female university students with valuable opportunities to build networks and enhance workplace skills." Dr Chan added that the WoC also supports the HYAB's continued implementation of other women-related initiatives to address the needs of women from different backgrounds. The WoC will continue to work hand in hand with the Government, women's organisations and all sectors of society to support the implementation of relevant initiatives under Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan and the Policy Address, to promote women's development in Hong Kong.

The WoC was established in 2001 and is committed to enabling women in Hong Kong to fully realise their due status, rights and opportunities in all aspects of life. It adopts a three-pronged strategy, namely the provision of an enabling environment, empowerment of women through capacity building, and public education, to promote the well-being and interests of women.

Source: AI-found images

Test results of seasonal food surveillance project on mooncakes all satisfactory

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (September 16) announced the results of a seasonal food surveillance project on mooncakes.The results of 365 samples tested were all satisfactory.

A spokesman for the CFS said that samples covering traditional, snowy, ice-cream and other types of mooncakes had been collected from various retailers (including online retailers) and food factories for chemical and microbiological tests and nutrition content analysis.

Chemical tests covered colouring matters, aflatoxins, metallic contaminants, preservatives, antioxidants and mineral oil. Microbiological tests covered various pathogens and hygiene indicators. For nutrition content analyses (covering the contents of energy, protein, total fat, saturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, carbohydrates, sodium and sugars), the samples were tested to see if they complied with the food labelling requirements.

The spokesman reminded members of the public to maintain a balanced diet and avoid excessive consumption of mooncakes as they are generally high in sugar and fat. Some types of mooncakes also contain relatively high levels of salt. Eating too much fat will increase the risk of being overweight and obese, while dietary sugar intake is a determinant of body weight and dental caries. In addition, excessive sodium intake will increase the risk of developing hypertension, fatal stroke and coronary heart disease.

He advised people to refer to the nutrition labels of mooncakes, particularly on the sugar, salt and fat contents, to make a healthier choice. People should avoid choosing mooncakes with high levels of fat or sugar, i.e. containing more than 20 grams of total fat or more than 15g of sugar per 100g of food. As for reducing salt intake, people can choose low-sodium mooncakes, i.e. containing no more than 120 milligrams of sodium per 100g of food.

The spokesman said that people should consider their health conditions and consume mooncakes in an appropriate amount during the Mid-Autumn Festival. He advised people to share mooncakes with their family members and friends, as this not only enhances the festive atmosphere, but also allows them to taste mooncakes of different flavours and avoid over-consumption.

Members of the public should heed the following points in the purchase, storage and consumption of mooncakes to prevent food-borne diseases:

• Buy mooncakes from reliable outlets rather than patronising unlicensed hawkers. Check whether the mooncakes are properly packaged, pay attention to the expiry dates before purchase and eat them before the expiry dates;
• Store mooncakes according to the instructions on the package if they are not to be consumed immediately. Keep snowy mooncakes at 4 degrees Celsius or below, and ice-cream mooncakes at minus 18 degrees C or below, and consume them as soon as possible after taking them out ofthe refrigerator;
• Use an icebox to carry snowy or ice-cream mooncakes outdoors and consume them as soon as possible;
• Wrap mooncakes properly and separate them from raw food when storing them in a refrigerator to prevent cross-contamination; and
• Maintain good personal hygiene. Wash hands properly with liquid soap and running water before handling and consuming mooncakes.

The spokesman also reminded food traders to adhere to the Good Hygiene Practices. Apart from purchasing food ingredients from reliable suppliers, they should also comply with legal requirements when using food additives.

"Snowy and ice-cream mooncakes, which do not undergo a baking process at high temperature, need to be handled hygienically during processing, transportation and storage to avoid contamination and growth of germs," he said.

Test results of seasonal food surveillance project on mooncakes all satisfactory Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases