The 2024 Honours and Awards Presentation Ceremony was held at the ballroom of Government House today (November 23). The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, presented honours and awards to the recipients at the Ceremony.

     Among this year's recipients, five received the Grand Bauhinia Medal; 12 received the Gold Bauhinia Star; 24 received the Silver Bauhinia Star; one received the Medal for Bravery (Silver) posthumously (received by a family member); 14 received the Distinguished Service Medal for the disciplined services and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC); 40 received the Bronze Bauhinia Star; 46 received the Meritorious Service Medal for the disciplined services and the ICAC; 105 received the Medal of Honour; and approximately 200 received the Chief Executive's Commendation.

     For the 2024 Honours List, please visit: www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202407/01/P2024063000273.htm and www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202411/22/P2024112100381.htm.

     â€‹Since the arrival of another pair of giant pandas, An An and Ke Ke (their current names), gifted by the Central Government to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, a craze for giant pandas has sparked across the city. An An and Ke Ke are currently acclimatising to the new living environment and are in good condition. They are expected to meet the public within December this year.

     In order to create a joyful atmosphere for welcoming the giant pandas, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB), jointly with the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and Ocean Park Hong Kong (OPHK), will collaborate with various parties in Hong Kong to organise a series of promotional activities themed Come and Enjoy a Pandastic Hong Kong. The new Hong Kong giant panda family will serve as Hong Kong's tourism ambassadors in promoting "tourism is everywhere in Hong Kong" experience, attracting visitors from all over the world to Hong Kong and thus driving tourism development.
      
     The CSTB will collaborate with various sectors of the society and the tourism industry to launch various promotional initiatives. One of the key events is the HELLO PANDAS Carnival, an outdoor event themed around giant pandas to be held from December 11 to 21 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazzas. Jointly organised by the China Tourism Group, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong as well as The Hong Kong Chinese Enterprises Association, and undertaken by the China Travel Service (Hong Kong) Limited, the Carnival will feature a diverse range of activities, including art installations, interactive performance, cultural and creative fair, photography exhibition. The Carnival will be open to all for free.
      
     The CSTB and the HKTB also fully support the large-scale event PANDA GO! FEST HK hosted by a creative brand ARR (AllRightsReserved). A giant panda roving exhibition will be staged on three consecutive Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays starting from December 7. More details about the event will be announced shortly.

     In addition, the CSTB and the HKTB will also produce a new television promotional video, in which the giant panda family and their friends will experience four unique tours in Hong Kong, including (1) explore the stunning world-class natural scenery; (2) enjoy delicious food from all over the world from local food to Michelin-award-winning restaurants; (3) indulge in the artistic atmosphere of world-class cultural museums and art galleries; and (4) experience the excitement of major events at Kai Tak Sports Park. The HKTB will also use the same theme of the event to stimulate a craze for giant pandas across the city. The six giant pandas can be seen in MTR stations, the Central Pier, the Mid-Levels escalators, and large outdoor advertisements in downtown areas.

     The Government will continue to seize the opportunity brought by the arrival of the giant pandas and connect different sectors of the society to actively plan and launch more promotional activities related to the giant pandas, thereby generating business opportunities for different sectors and boosting the economy.

      

     â€‹To promote breastfeeding and garner support from the healthcare sector, the Department of Health (DH), in collaboration with the Hospital Authority, the Hong Kong Private Hospitals Association, the Hong Kong Committee for United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative Hong Kong Association, today (November 23) organised the Breastfeeding Symposium 2024, which brought together local and overseas experts from Sweden, Singapore and Australia to share with representatives of the public and private healthcare sectors, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders the various issues related to breastfeeding, including professional support and the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative jointly promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UNICEF.

     International literature and research showed breastmilk is the ideal food for infants. Breastmilk is safe, clean and contains antibodies which can help prevent many common childhood illnesses. Breastfed children perform better in intelligence tests, are less likely to be overweight or obese, and are less prone to have diabetes later in life.

     Officiating at the symposium, the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, said, "The Government has all along been promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding through a multi-pronged approach. The promotion of breastfeeding policy relies on the co-operation of different stakeholders in the community, and the support of healthcare professionals and medical institutions is particularly important."

     The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative is a global initiative launched by the WHO and the UNICEF, aiming to bring every baby the best start in life by creating a supportive atmosphere for breastfeeding. The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative includes a Baby-Friendly Health Facility assessment and accreditation programme to assess and recognise medical organisations which have successfully promoted, supported and safeguarded breastfeeding.

     Dr Lam said, "The first few hours and days after birth are critical for establishing lactation and success of breastfeeding. All eight public hospitals with obstetrics departments in Hong Kong have been accredited as Baby Friendly Hospitals (BFHs). Two private hospitals providing delivery services have also started the BFH accreditation process, with one of them already accredited. In 2023, about 40 per cent of local babies were born in private hospitals. The Government calls upon more private hospitals to initiate the BFH accreditation process. To further strengthen and consolidate the baby-friendly measures in local maternity hospitals, the Government has set up a dedicated working group under the Committee on Promotion of Breastfeeding, in a bid to make breastfeeding the mainstream of infant and young child feeding in Hong Kong. Besides, to comprehensively enhance the professional support provided by health care facilities to breastfeeding families, the DH has expedited the accreditation process for Baby-Friendly Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs). Currently, there are eight Baby-Friendly MCHCs, while the remaining 20 MCHCs are undergoing the accreditation process.

     In addition, professional counselling services can ensure that mothers and their families receive adequate breastfeeding support, along with the information and advice, to build the confidence they need to nourish their babies optimally. To this end, the DH organised workshops two days prior to the symposium to enhance the capacity of healthcare professionals in both the public and private sectors in this area.

     The Government will continue to take forward a series of breastfeeding promotion initiatives, including:
 

1. encouraging the implementation of the Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace policy. DH has issued guidelines for employers and employees with specific advice on supporting breastfeeding.
2. promoting public places as Breastfeeding Friendly Premises. Since the Government's introduction of a mandatory requirement in the sale conditions of government land sale sites for new commercial developments in 2017 for developers to provide babycare rooms and lactation rooms (LRs), the Government has already included relevant requirements in the sale conditions for over 20 government land sales sites for new commercial developments as at October 31 this year. Meanwhile, the Government has also mandated the provision of babycare facilities and LRs in some newly completed government premises. As of October 31 this year, there were more than 400 babycare rooms in government properties.
3. "The Chief Executive's 2023 Policy Address" announced the establishment of a breastmilk bank and formulating the related mechanism for breastmilk donation in 2025 to provide breastmilk for infants and young children who cannot be breastfed by their biological mothers, and especially to minimise the chance of serious illness in premature or severely-ill babies. The breastmilk bank is expected to be officially launched in the first quarter of 2025.

     The Government will continue to work closely with different sectors of the society to strengthen the professional support for breastfeeding mothers in the healthcare sector and step up publicity on breastfeeding in the community through various channels, with a view to fostering a proactive culture of support for breastfeeding in the community and creating a friendly environment conducive to breastfeeding.

     The Breastfeeding Symposium 2024 provided a golden opportunity for healthcare professionals to share and exchange views on areas related to the enhancement of professional support for breastfeeding and to exchange experiences, data and views on the enhancement of professional support for breastfeeding mothers.

    

The following is issued on behalf of the Communications Authority:

     To raise public vigilance and awareness of telecommunications scams, the Communications Authority (CA) is organising the large-scale "Say NO to Phone Scams" Fun Day cum Exhibition in Kowloon Park today and tomorrow (November 23 and 24), with a view to promoting awareness against phone and SMS scams.

     The Fun Day cum Exhibition is one of the major events of the annual consumer education campaign organised by the CA. Through interactive activities including game booths, quiz games with prizes and workshops for families, as well as exhibition panels and consumer education videos, it aims to raise public awareness against phone and SMS scams, and promote consumer tips on the smart use of various communications services.

     In addition, the CA has earlier organised the "Beware of Phone and SMS Scam Poster and Slogan Design Competition" for primary school students. The prize presentation ceremony for the Competition was held during today's event.

     Speaking at the prize presentation ceremony, the Director-General of Communications, Mr Chaucer Leung, said, "Given the prevalence of phone scam cases in recent years and in order to remind the public to stay vigilant against fraudsters, the Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA), together with telecommunications service providers and the Police, have set up a working group to co-ordinate among the telecommunications industry to devise and implement various technical measures, including adding the '+' sign to the caller number for calls originated from outside Hong Kong, sending voice or text alerts for incoming calls with caller number prefixed with '+852', and blocking suspicious local or overseas calls. Telecommunications service providers also block suspicious phone numbers and websites involving scam cases based on the information provided by the Police. Moreover, OFCA has also introduced the SMS Sender Registration Scheme since the end of last year to help the public verify the identities of SMS message senders.

     "To enhance public awareness against frauds, OFCA also actively organises various public education and publicity activities to promote anti-scam messages in a holistic manner. The Poster and Slogan Design Competition aims at reminding students and parents to always stay highly vigilant against unknown phone calls and SMS messages. I am delighted to see that the Competition has attracted an overwhelming response. The entries are not only rich in content but also thoughtful in design with excellent painting skills, which fully demonstrate the students' understanding of the themes and their earnest attitude towards creation," Mr Leung added.

     Mr Leung urged members of the public to say "NO" to phone scams and not to disclose to unidentified callers or SMS message senders any personal information, bank account numbers or credit card details or transfer money, to avoid suffering from losses.

     The Competition received over 2 900 entries from a total of 113 schools. The judging panel selected the champion, first runner-up, second runner-up and 10 merit awards based on the criteria of the expression of theme, creativity of slogan, creativity of design and artistic presentation. The top three schools with the largest number of submissions also won the outstanding participating school award. The list of winners of the Competition has been uploaded to its thematic website.

     The Fun Day cum Exhibition will continue tomorrow and members of the public are welcome to join. For details of the event, please visit www.ofca.gov.hk/education.

      

     The "City Companion" Community Alliance on Promoting Mental Health, established by the Auxiliary Medical Service, the Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service, the Hong Kong Lutheran Social Service, the Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU), the SideBySide and the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong, held its Joyful Companion Wellness Carnival today (November 23). The carnival featured a variety of activities, including game booths, a health sharing session and health consultations, with a view to promoting public awareness of the importance of physical and mental well-being.

     The launching ceremony was officiated by the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam; Legislative Council Member Dr Tik Chi-yuen; and the President of the HKMU, Professor Paul Lam. Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Lam said that the Government has long been attaching great importance to mental health of members of the public and strives to conduct promotion and public education for all ages. In terms of prevention, the public can browse the "Shall We Talk" online platform to have a better understanding of mental health. To identify those who are in need at an early stage, the Government has launched the "18111 – Mental Health Support Hotline", and encourages those who might have mental health needs and their carers to call for timely support.

     Addressing the ceremony, Professor Lam expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Alliance for the support from all parties in raising public awareness of physical and mental health. In response to initiatives promoting mental health in "The Chief Executive's 2024 Policy Address" and to reflect the tripartite collaboration among the Government, the community and the universities, the Alliance has proactively organised a range of activities over the past six months, including school education, student training, community outreach, and other mental health support services, benefiting over 3 300 individuals. 

     Through this community carnival, the Alliance hopes to convey a message of facing mental health issues with optimism and positivity, reducing social stigmas towards mental illness, and encouraging mutual support in creating a healthy and harmonious community.