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The following is issued on behalf of the Road Safety Council:

     The Road Safety Council 51st Anniversary Eggstra Fun Carnival, organised by the Road Safety Council, will be held tomorrow (December 1) from 10am to 4.30pm at the Kai Tak Station Square, Kowloon City.

     The opening ceremony will be held at the Kai Tak Station Square, Kowloon City at 10am. The Chairperson of the Road Safety Council and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) of the Hong Kong Police Force, Mr Joe Chow; the Chairperson of the Road Safety Research Committee and Deputy Commissioner for Transport (Planning and Technical Services), Mr Patrick Ho; and the Chairperson of the Road Safety Campaign Committee, Ms Karin Wong, will officiate at the ceremony. Prizes for the Safety Professional Driver Awards 2024 and Eggcellence Road Safety AI Drawing Competition will be presented at the ceremony, and there will be an interactive drama performance.
 
     This year, the Road Safety Council aims to enhance the community’s awareness of road safety by inviting members of the public to participate in the event. There will be game booths under the theme of Mr Safegg, a bounce park, children’s electric car experiences, virtual reality games, creative workshops and a photo-taking zone to disseminate road safety messages to the public in a lively manner to encourage people to “Keep your cool on the road – Stay Alert, Stay Alive”. read more

     The Department of Health (DH) and Hong Kong Advisory Council on AIDS (ACA) today (November 30) jointly held the World AIDS Campaign 2024 Kick-off Ceremony to raise public awareness of the prevention of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. The DH also announced the launch of the inaugural HIV Testing Month in Hong Kong, encouraging people who have had sex to undergo HIV testing at least once to keep track of their own health status. People with HIV should seek specialist care and HIV treatment as soon as possible for viral suppression and for health restoration.
      
     The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated December 1 (i.e. tomorrow) each year as World AIDS Day, and today’s event was organised in response to this observance. Under the theme “Advances with Love, 40 Years of United Actions & Beyond”, the ceremony reflected on the past and future joint efforts between the Government, healthcare sector and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to combat AIDS and care for patients and their families through a multipronged approach and strategic collaboration since the first case of HIV infection was reported in Hong Kong in 1984.
      
     Officiating at the ceremony, the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, said, “The prevalence of HIV infection in Hong Kong remains well below the global average, accounting for 1 in 1 000 of the adult population. The number of new cases in recent years has continued to drop from the peak in 2015, which is encouraging. However, we must not be complacent, as the proportion of late presenters in Hong Kong has been on the rise in recent years, and the number of newly infected persons aged 50 or above has not dropped in tandem with the overall number of newly infected persons. Furthermore, various challenges such as stigma and discrimination still exist.”
      
     In view of this, the Red Ribbon Centre of the DH, in collaboration with 12 NGOs and 10 supporting organisations, is launching the inaugural HIV Testing Month in Hong Kong in December (i.e. from tomorrow onwards), with a view to increasing the public’s awareness of HIV testing in Hong Kong, as well as helping the public understand how to get tested for HIV easily and conveniently through a variety of channels.
      
     The Scientific Committee on AIDS and STI has earlier issued its recommendation that people who have had sex should get HIV testing at least once.

     Dr Lam said, “The launch of HIV Testing Month aims to promote the normalisation of HIV testing. Members of the public can browse the HIV Testing Service website (www.hivtest.gov.hk) or access the HIV testing calendar on the HIV Testing Service website via the ‘@DH mobile application’ to learn more about and select testing resources in the community.”

     The Government will launch a new Announcement of Public Interest (API) under the slogan “For your health, get tested for HIV” to appeal to people who have had sex to get tested for HIV at least once, so that those who are unaware of their infection status can receive timely diagnosis and treatment. Normalising HIV testing will also help remove the negative stigma associated with HIV infection and testing.
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     The ceremony was attended by around 100 stakeholders who have been involved in the fight against AIDS since the 1980s.
      
     Designated as a United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Collaborating Centre for Technical Support, the Red Ribbon Centre of the DH has been working closely with NGOs involved in AIDS work to promote the World AIDS Campaign. It will continue to conduct publicity and education through different channels to raise public awareness of AIDS prevention.
      
     Other officiating guests at the ceremony included the Controller of the Centre for Health Protection of the DH, Dr Edwin Tsui; the Director of the Centre for Health Systems and Policy Research of the JC School of Public Health and Primary Care of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor Yeoh Eng-kiong; the Chairman of the Hong Kong AIDS Foundation, Dr Leong Che-hung; the Chairperson of the ACA, Dr Ho King-man; the Chairman of the Expert Panel on HIV Infection of Health Care Workers, Dr Lai Sik-to; and the Chairman of the Scientific Committee on AIDS and STI, Dr Lee Cheuk-kwong.

        

     Next year will mark the 60th anniversary of Dongjiang water supply to Hong Kong. To commemorate and celebrate this important milestone, the Water Supplies Department (WSD) launched a series of publicity events in September this year. Among the activities is a pair of running competitions at the Aberdeen Reservoir, which was held today (November 30), to commemorate the six decades of water supplied from Dongjiang. The Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mr Ricky Lau, who kick-started the competitions by firing the starter’s gun, officiated at the event. He was accompanied by the Director of Water Supplies, Mr Roger Wong.
      
     Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Lau said that while participants enjoy the scenery of the Aberdeen Reservoir today, they may think of the times when Hong Kong faced droughts around 60 years ago. Then, the country’s timely mobilisation of a large amount of labour and resources enabled the city to receive Dongjiang’s water, showing the country’s love and care for Hong Kong. Mr Lau said he hopes that the country’s love and care, as well as the parental love of the family race participants, can be passed from generation to generation.
      
     Delivering his welcoming remarks, Mr Wong said intensive preparation work is being carried out for a large-scale celebration ceremony, official visits, an international conference, etc to commemorate and celebrate the 60th anniversary next year of Dongjiang water supply to Hong Kong, with a view to deepening the public’s understanding of the history and current situation of the Dongjiang water supply, and the country’s long-term support and care rendered to Hong Kong.
      
     The running competition, comprised an individual race (8 kilometres) and a family race (3 kilometres), received more than 450 enrollments. Through this running competition, the WSD sought to join together with the community to inject vitality and positivity into the celebration events for this special anniversary. The running competition also symbolised the uninterrupted Dongjiang water supply to Hong Kong over the last six decades, which continues to support the city’s long-term development.
      
     The WSD expresses thanks to the support from the Development Bureau and the co-ordination of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department which enabled the smooth running of the event today. The department also thanks Radio Television Hong Kong for its coverage of the event. The feature story will be broadcast on “Hong Kong United” on RTHK TV 31.

          

     The Mainland Higher Education Expo 2025/26, organised by the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Education Bureau (EDB), is being held today and tomorrow (November 30 and December 1) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Expo will provide students aspiring to pursue further studies on the Mainland and their parents with information on the arrangements of the Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions (Admission Scheme) for the 2025/26 academic year and other related information.
           
     Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Expo today, the Acting Secretary for Education, Dr Sze Chun-fai, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the MoE for always according priority to the nurturing of Hong Kong youths and organising a large delegation comprising representatives of Mainland higher education institutions to visit Hong Kong and participate in the Expo every year. He also encouraged aspiring students to seize the opportunity by applying for their preferred Mainland institutions and programmes through the Admission Scheme, to learn and grow together with Mainland students, contribute to the exchange and co-operation between the Mainland and Hong Kong, and embrace the unlimited opportunities brought by the development of the country and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area during their studies.

     He said that the Admission Scheme has entered its 14th year and has achieved good results over the past years. Over 47 000 Hong Kong students had applied under the Scheme for studying at Mainland universities since its implementation in the 2012/13 academic year. The number of participating institutions under the Scheme will increase to 145 for the 2025/26 academic year, providing students with more diverse choices. 
                     
     Around 140 Mainland higher education institutions will set up exhibition booths to provide information on aspects such as faculties and subjects, admission criteria and the number of admission places. Representatives from the MoE will also provide on-site briefings on application procedures and admission arrangements for the Admission Scheme.

     The Expo will also feature a number of sharing sessions, including an introduction by representatives of Mainland institutions on the features of various programmes, experience sharing by Hong Kong students who graduated from Mainland institutions, and analyses of career prospects provided by guest speakers. An online platform (www.studymainland.hk) has also been set up for the Expo, where virtual exhibition booths will be set up by all Mainland higher education institutions participating in the Admission Scheme.

     The Expo is open to the public today from 11am to 7pm and tomorrow (Sunday) from 10am to 6pm at Hall 3DE of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. Admission is free. The EDB has collaborated with the China Education Exchange (Hong Kong) Centre and the Hok Yau Club to compile the Handbook on the Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions. The Handbook, which provides comprehensive information on the Admission Scheme and further studies on the Mainland, including information of all participating institutions, programme choices and selection strategies, as well as sharing from graduates, will be distributed free of charge at the Expo. The electronic version (Chinese version only) will also be available on the EDB’s website (www.edb.gov.hk/admissionscheme).

     In addition, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government launched the Mainland University Study Subsidy Scheme in 2014 to support Hong Kong high school graduates in pursuing undergraduate studies on the Mainland through a means-tested subsidy or a non-means-tested subsidy. The subsidy will be disbursed based on the distance between the locations of the institutions and Hong Kong, which will be grouped into three categories. Details are available on the EDB’s website (www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/postsecondary/policy-doc/musss/). read more

     The Government today (November 30) announced details of the enhancement of the operation of the Mega Arts and Cultural Events (ACE) Fund and its application arrangements.
      
     Taking into consideration the latest developments in Hong Kong’s arts and culture sector and ecology, as well as various views from different parties, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) has reviewed the operation and funding mode of the Mega ACE Fund and consulted the Mega ACE Committee. The CSTB will enhance the operation of the Mega ACE Fund through the following areas with a view to better and more effectively promoting the development of arts and culture, as well as boosting tourism and the economy:

(i) the assessment criteria will emphasise the requirement for the funded events to cover elements that promote tourism and bring economic benefits, with a view to integrating arts and culture with the socio-economic development to bring a positive impact to Hong Kong’s community as a whole; 

(ii) the Mega ACE Fund will adopt a fixed application cycle, i.e. three rounds of applications each year, with deadlines set on the last working day of April, August, and December each year respectively, and applicants should submit applications at least six months prior to the proposed event date. This not only encourages event organisers to make adequate planning, but also allows the Mega ACE Fund to consider applications received in the same round in one lot. Upon examining the merits of each application, the Mega ACE Fund will identify not more than four projects that deserve support in that round and determine the corresponding funding amount. The target is to support at most 10 projects each year, with a view to utilising limited resources more effectively; 

(iii) matching grant will be introduced to encourage the event organisers to solicit commercial sponsorship to enhance the level of participation of commercial organisations and to follow the over-arching principle of industry building; and 

(iv) the requirements on key performance indicators (KPIs) will be strengthened, including adding KPIs in respect of the integrated development of mega arts and cultural events and tourism to better monitor the effectiveness of events and showcase the impact of the Mega ACE Fund.

     The new mechanism will officially take effect on January 1, 2025, and is applicable to events to be organised on or after July 1, 2025. Applicants should use the new version of the application form (i.e. the “November 2024” version) and submit applications at least six months prior to the proposed event date. For example, if the event is to be organised on July 1, 2025, the application should be submitted on January 1, 2025, at the latest. After the deadline of each round of application, the Mega ACE Committee Secretariat will notify the applicants of the results generally within 14 weeks. The deadline of the first round of applications will be April 30, 2025. The Secretariat will process the applications received between January 1 and April 30, 2025, in one lot.

     For events to be organised between May 1 and June 30, 2025, having considered that event organisers may not be able to submit the applications at least six months prior to the event as required upon the implementation of the new mechanism, the CSTB will make special transitional arrangement, which accepts applications to be submitted at least four months prior to the event as per the existing requirement. However, applicants should use the new version of the application form (i.e. the “November 2024” version), and the Mega ACE Fund will consider the applications concerned under the new mechanism, but the approved applications will not contribute to the target number of the supported projects in the same year. 

     For more information and the application form, please visit www.cstb.gov.hk/en/councils-boards-and-committees/mega-arts-and-cultural-events-committee.html.

     â€‹The CSTB launched the Mega ACE Fund in April 2023. It aims to attract and support international and large-scale arts and cultural events to be held in Hong Kong, with a view to fostering Hong Kong’s development as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. The Fund has supported 20 large-scale arts and cultural events so far. read more