Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

The Conference on Climate Change & International Trade Law was held in hybrid format in Hong Kong today, attracting about 600 registrations from jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Latin America, Europe and Africa.

Jointly organised by the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy of the Department of Justice, the conference discussed how international trade law can effectively support the achievement of climate action goals set by the international community.

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam, UNCITRAL Secretary Anna Joubin-Bret and Deputy Director General, Department of Treaty & Law of the Ministry of Commerce Tian Ya gave opening remarks, while Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan delivered closing remarks.

International Law Commission Member Ma Xinmin gave a keynote address, with prominent speakers from around the world joining the panel discussions.

Noting that various local climate change initiatives have demonstrated Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre as well as a green and sustainable finance hub, Mr Lam said the wide spectrum of issues discussed at the conference illustrates how international trade law can effectively support the climate action goals set by the global community.

​The International Legal Talents Training Academy will continue to work with UNCITRAL in different areas and is planning to co-organise the 6th UNCITRAL Asia Pacific Judicial Summit in Hong Kong later this year.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan wrapped up a trip to Beijing today having agreed with Mainland officials that both sides will work to strengthen co-operation, technological exchanges and talent training in the agricultural sector.

On a visit to the Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Mr Tse met Agriculture & Rural Affairs Vice Minister Zhang Xingwang and briefed him on various measures in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s Blueprint for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture & Fisheries.

The two sides exchanged views on leveraging Hong Kong’s advantages of enjoying the motherland’s strong support and being closely connected to the world, to develop its potential as an international food hub and expand access to the global market for the Mainland’s high-quality agricultural and fisheries produce. They also discussed the latest developments in restocking and multi-storey livestock farms.

Mr Tse stressed that Hong Kong is a highly developed city that has limited land resources, and in faces challenges in its development of agriculture and fisheries, while China as a whole has a strong foundation in the development, research and application of agro-technology.

Both sides agreed to establish a mechanism to strengthen co-operation, technological exchanges and talent training.

Earlier in the day, Mr Tse met representatives from the China Biodiversity Conservation & Green Development Foundation to discuss issues including green development, ocean governance and biodiversity.

He highlighted that Hong Kong boasts rich marine assets and biodiversity, and will look to increase co-operation with other cities in the Greater Bay Area to strengthen environmental protection and ecological conservation.

Mr Tse also invited the foundation to participate further in Hong Kong’s conservation and environmental education work, to help promote green and sustainable development.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

Announcing an overview of Hong Kong’s air quality in 2024, the Environmental Protection Department said today that the city’s air remained good overall and was broadly in compliance with the Government’s Air Quality Objectives.

In recent years, the Government has promoted electric vehicles, green transport and net-zero electricity generation in an effort to improve air quality in Hong Kong.

The department said that in 2024 the percentages of hourly Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) readings recorded by general and roadside monitoring stations that fell within “low” or “moderate” health risk paramaters were 98.7% and 98.9% respectively. The comparable figures for 2014, the year the index launched, were 96.1% and 92.1%.

From 2004 to 2024, the annual average concentrations of respirable suspended particulates, fine suspended particulates, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide in the ambient air have fallen by 45% to 88%. The annual average concentrations of these pollutants at the roadside have fallen by 36% to 88%.

The annual average concentration of ozone has also steadied over the past few years. The number of hours of reduced visibility has declined by 82% since 2004.

Despite an increase in regional ozone levels, Hong Kong’s air quality has continued to improve over the past 20 years, resulting in a reduction in long-term health risks of more than 50%.

The department said it will update the risk factors assigned to air pollutants with reference to data derived from hospital admissions associated with air pollutants over the past decade.

It will also update its AQHI compilation methods with reference to the latest guideline levels for air pollutants published by the World Health Organization.

The updated AQHI will be made available online from tomorrow.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan today kicked off a visit to Beijing by visiting agricultural facilities and meeting officials.

In the morning, Mr Tse visited the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and toured various facilities to learn about national developments in agro-technology.

In the afternoon, he paid a courtesy call on the General Administration of Customs (GACC) and met GACC Vice Minister Zhao Zenglian. 

Mr Tse expressed gratitude to the GACC for its support in safeguarding food supplies to Hong Kong and its assistance in the implementation of a customs clearance facilitation arrangement in relation to Hong Kong food exports.

He said that the facilitation arrangement, which launched in May last year, is operating smoothly and has significantly shortened the time required for customs clearance. He added that its introduction is appreciated by Hong Kong food manufacturers.

Both sides expressed the hope that the arrangement can be applied to more food categories in the future.

Afterwards, Mr Tse met representatives from the Ministry of Ecology & Environment (MEE), the National Center for Climate Change Strategy & International Cooperation, and the BRI International Green Development Coalition to exchange views on topics such as co-operation on ecological and environmental matters and combating climate change.

He said that with the MEE’s strong support, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government was involved in a successful Side Event at the China Pavilion during the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) last year.

The environment chief added that he hopes to continue telling good stories about Hong Kong’s and China’s efforts to combat climate change at COP30 this year.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

The Government welcomed the Legislative Council’s passage of the Air Pollution Control (Amendment) Bill 2024 today.

To more effectively combat unlicensed specified processes operations that may cause serious air pollution, the bill introduces a statutory closure notice mechanism.

At the same time, the amendment exercise optimises the scope of “cement works” and the definition of “premises” under specified processes to avoid misinterpretation or control circumvention, such that the trade could enjoy a clearer and fairer business environment.

The amendment exercise also tightens five existing Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) and adds three parameters newly introduced by the World Health Organization to its Global Air Quality Guidelines.

Among the 15 updated AQOs, seven are set at the most stringent levels of the guidelines, which are on par with those of other advanced economies.

The bill will come into effect on April 11.

The Government said Hong Kong’s air quality has continued to improve through the implementation of local control measures and close collaboration with the Guangdong Provincial Government.

Over the past two years, the city has recorded a 40%-80% decrease in the concentrations of major air pollutants, attaining the best air quality level since its return to the motherland, it added.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan was due to depart for Beijing this afternoon.

During his stay in Beijing, Mr Tse will visit the General Administration of Customs to discuss various topics such as safeguarding food supplies to Hong Kong, the facilitation of Hong Kong-manufactured food exports to the Mainland, and overall co-operation on food trade.

He will also visit the Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Affairs, and exchange views with officials on the sustainable development of agriculture and fisheries, restocking, multi-storey livestock farms and offshore fishing, with a view to enhancing communication and co-operation.

In addition, Mr Tse will meet representatives from the Ministry of Ecology & Environment and the BRI International Green Development Coalition to exchange views on combating climate change.

He will also meet representatives from the China Biodiversity Conservation & Green Development Foundation, and the Carbon Neutral Industry Development Innovation Committee, to discuss issues such as green development, ocean governance, and the carbon market.

Mr Tse will return to Hong Kong on Friday afternoon. During his absence, Under Secretary for Environment & Ecology Diane Wong will be Acting Secretary.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

The Department of Health has requested that the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital – Tsuen Wan submit an investigation report after an examination lamp fell in a treatment room at the hospital last night.

 

The hospital reported that the lamp, in a treatment room at the hospital’s Urgent Care Centre, fell suddenly while a staff member was trying to adjust it. The lamp struck the staff member and a doctor who had just finished treating a patient.

 

Neither of the two suffered major injuries and they did not require hospitalisation. The patient was not injured.

 

Following the incident, the hospital suspended use of the room and asked the lamp supplier to immediately inspect all examination lamps in the hospital of the same Polaris® 50 model.

 

As a precautionary measure, the hospital has also requested the supplier, Draeger Hong Kong, to inspect all other lights on its premises manufactured by them.

 

The department said it will carefully assess the findings of the investigation and the measures taken by the hospital in response to the incident, and will take appropriate follow-up actions to protect patient safety and prevent similar incidents.

 

The department has also been in contact with Draeger Hong Kong to learn more about the incident. It requested them in writing today to notify affected customers and take follow-up action.

 

The department said it will notify stakeholders, including the Hospital Authority, all private hospitals, licensed private healthcare facilities and relevant medical professional bodies, about the incident, and request that they contact Draeger Hong Kong as soon as possible if they are using Polaris® 50 lamps.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) today said it is investigating the possible source of a norovirus outbreak involving students who had joined an exchange tour to the Mainland.

Yesterday, the CHP learnt that 135 teachers and students from a secondary school in Tsing Yi went on a three-day exchange tour to Zhaoqing on March 20. During the period from around 11am on March 21 to 8am the next day, 20 students and one teacher developed symptoms compatible with norovirus infection, including vomiting, diarrhoea and fever.

Eighteen patients sought medical attention in Zhaoqing. All are in a stable condition and have been discharged, and eight have tested positive for norovirus.

The CHP is probing the possible source of this norovirus outbreak from different aspects, including the possibility of transmission through person-to-person, contaminated food or the environment. Preliminary investigations revealed that all 21 patients had not consumed any common food items other than the group meals, and there has not been any outbreak of acute gastroenteritis in the school recently.

After analysing the onset time of the cases, the CHP said that it could not, at this stage, preliminarily rule out that the cases were infected through consuming contaminated food.

The centre has notified the Guangdong health authority of the relevant information of epidemiological investigations, and has been informed that the Mainland has commenced investigation into the case.

Apart from giving health advice to the affected school, the CHP will continue to follow up on the incident and conduct epidemiological investigations, including collecting stool specimens from the cases for laboratory testing. It has also alerted the Education Bureau to the situation.

Separately, the CHP noted that the activity of acute gastroenteritis in Hong Kong has been on the rise since the end of December last year, and has remained at a relatively high level in recent months.

In January there were 57 outbreaks and 49 in February, while up to March 15, a total of 21 outbreak cases were recorded. Most of these outbreaks were caused by the norovirus.

The centre also remarked that in addition to the Mainland, there have been recent outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis in other popular travel destinations for Hong Kong citizens, such as Japan, Singapore and Taiwan.

To minimise the risk of being infected while travelling, the centre advised citizens to remain vigilant and maintain personal, environmental and food hygiene.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

The Department of Health today said it is looking into a water seepage incident in an operating theatre during surgery at the CUHK Medical Centre.

It was noted that the hospital was conducting a patient’s eye surgery on March 10 and towards the end of the operation, water started dripping from the ceiling at the end of the operating table.

Hospital staff immediately used a cloth to stop the dripping while also covering the patient’s head and surgical instruments with a sterile surgical drape.

The surgery was completed uneventfully. The patient’s condition has been stable and no complications have been reported.

The hospital has suspended the use of the operating theatre in question and identified the source of the water seepage. Repair work has been carried out.

While the incident is not a reportable event under the Code of Practice for Private Hospitals, the Department of Health has, for the sake of prudence, requested the hospital to submit an investigation report.

After assessing the investigation findings and the actions taken by the hospital, the department will take appropriate follow-up action with a view to preventing recurrence and enhancing the protection of patient safety.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

Last April, Ida Chan welcomed her son into the world. He was born a kilogramme lighter than expected, and Ida decided to breastfeed to help him bulk up.

Initially, she faced challenges. As her baby was hospitalised due to newborn jaundice, Ida missed the initial window to start breastfeeding. As she struggled to produce enough milk herself, she was also distressed to discover that her son had trouble digesting baby formula.

Fortunately, she managed to boost her milk supply through consistent pumping and was finally able to breastfeed exclusively three months later.

With her son now thriving, she knows she made the right decision. “Every drop of breast milk is not just about tiredness, pain and time,” she reflected. “It is all about a mother’s love to her baby.

Heartfelt giving

When Ida subsequently learned about some of her friends’ premature babies being severely underweight, it hit close to home. Accordingly, when she learned about the launch of the Hong Kong Breast Milk Bank, she did not hesitate to sign up online right away.

After clearing a health screening, she began donating some of her breast milk, just as she had hoped.

Even though she has returned to working full-time and her own child is eating more solid foods, combined with three milk feeds a day, Ida still makes time to pump and reserve an extra bag to donate to other babies.

Altogether, it takes half an hour for her to pump the milk, store it, and clean up, but she is heartened that she is able to lend a hand to other families in need. “I think it is worth it because I am doing something good for the community.”

She added that she wants to set an example to her son. “In the future, I want to tell my baby ‘Your mother was helping others, and I want you to be a person like me.’”

Beyond expectations

Donating breast milk is not as simple as having good intentions, however. To qualify, donors need to be currently lactating, and have a baby under one year old. They also have to be in good health, pass a thorough assessment that includes a review of their medication history, and submit to undergoing blood tests every three months.

Since launching in January of this year, the Hong Kong Breast Milk Bank, located in the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital, has collected more than 300 litres of donated breast milk and recruited over 100 eligible donors.

Hong Kong Breast Milk Bank Director Dr Rosanna Wong said the numbers are beyond expectations.

This month, the initiative began its second phase, offering donor breast milk to all nine of the Hospital Authority’s Neonatal Intensive Care Units.

“The first priority of using this milk are those babies who are born under 32 weeks of gestation, or with birth weight less than 1.5kg,” Dr Wong explained. “Other babies who require the milk will be those who have severe diseases like congenital heart disease, or after a gastrointestinal operation.”

She added that if the bank could gather more donations, milk could be given to less premature babies, or even full-term babies with special needs.

All milk donated to the bank undergoes pasteurisation, microbiological testing and nutritional analysis, all under strict temperature controls, to ensure its safety and quality.

Ideal nourishment

Dr Wong described breast milk as the best nutrition for infants, particularly premature babies, as it contains unique properties such as immunoglobulins and immune factors that protect these babies from infections.

She emphasised that using breast milk for such babies reduces complications, including necrotising enterocolitis.

Calling on the community to rally behind the cause,” she added: “Each drop of donated breast milk is a gift of life for these vulnerable babies. We are looking forward to receiving more support from the mothers and the community.”