The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government
urged on Friday all sectors of the community to work towards the
goal of building a healthy and safe city to tie in with Hong Kong's
staging of the 2008 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian
Events.
Speaking at the Building Healthy Kowloon City Association
inauguration ceremony, Hong Kong Permanent Secretary for Home
Affairs Carrie Lam said the HKSAR government fully supports the
World Health Organization (WHO)'s Healthy City and Safe Community
Initiatives.
The Healthy City Initiative was launched in 1986, with the
Alliance for Healthy Cities established in 2004 in the Western
Pacific region to promote support and co-operation among member
cities.
Sai Kung and Kwai Tsing, which are all in the New Territories,
and Kwun Tong in Kowloon, have already registered as members of the
alliance, with the first two being the founding members. Several
other districts are preparing for similar registration.
The Safe Community Initiative aims to boost safety through close
collaboration among the government, local organizations and the
public. For a community to be designated as a safe community, it
must meet all the six basic criteria set by WHO.
Of the 111 communities and districts accredited by WHO
Collaborating Center on Community Safety Promotion, six are from
Hong Kong. Lam said he hoped the excellent achievement by these
districts will be a catalyst for greater community
participation.
(Xinhua News Agency February 3, 2007)