Hong Kong Legal Week 2023 to be launched on Monday

     Hong Kong Legal Week 2023, an annual flagship event of the legal sector and the Department of Justice (DoJ), themed "Onward & Forward: Connecting the World", will be held starting from Monday (November 6). The five-day event will bring together prominent legal and dispute resolution experts and academics from around the world, including the Secretary of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and UNCITRAL's senior staff members. Through a series of summits, panel discussions, mock court, exhibitions and more, this year's Hong Kong Legal Week will explore important topics including international legal co-operation, mediation, arbitration, and opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the Belt and Road Initiative.

     It will be the first time a special session is hosted for the Secretary for Justice to answer questions and clarify misunderstandings about the Hong Kong National Security Law. In addition, the Hong Kong Legal Week this year will continue to conduct interactive sessions for young people, such as the "Understanding the three jurisdictions – Embracing opportunities and realising dreams in the GBA" session where young legal representatives from the three places are invited to discuss the opportunities offered in the GBA.  During the "Youth Empowerment through Rule of Law Education" session, students will also have a chance to chat with a Legislative Council member, a school principal and a teacher on the rule of law topics.

     This year, exhibition booths dedicated to promoting legal services in Hong Kong, Macao and the nine Mainland cities in the GBA will also be set up for the first time during the Hong Kong Legal Week outside the main event venue. Representatives from the cities will introduce the new developments and opportunities of the legal services in the GBA and answer participants' enquiries.

     Fully supported by international legal organisations, the two legal professional bodies in Hong Kong and other law-related and relevant organisations, Hong Kong Legal Week 2023 will feature a series of international and important events in a hybrid mode as below:

November 6
* 5th UNCITRAL Asia Pacific Judicial Summit – Judicial Conference

November 7
* 5th UNCITRAL Asia Pacific Judicial Summit – Judicial Roundtable (by invitation only)
* Legal Forum on Interconnectivity and Development

November 8
* New Domains in Mediation and Arbitration
AM Session: 6th Shanghai-Hong Kong Commercial Mediation Forum
PM Session: Fireside Chat: The Future of Arbitration – Arbitration Issues Around the Globe
                  Experience Sharing of the Practice of Arbitration Funding in Major Arbitral Jurisdictions
* Hong Kong Mediation Lecture 2023

November 9
* Gateway to the Opportunities in the GBA
AM Session: Advancing the legal practice in the GBA
                  Mock Court: Exchanges on legal practices (Civil case)
PM Session: GBA Young Lawyers Forum
 
November 10
* Rule of Law for the Future
AM Session: Rule of Law: A Core Pillar of Support for the "8 Centres" under the National 14th Five-Year Plan
PM Session: Youth Empowerment through Rule of Law Education
                  National Security Chatroom: You ask, I answer.
 
     For more details of Hong Kong Legal Week 2023, please visit the dedicated website at www.legalweek.hk. Live broadcast will be available on the dedicated website and at webcast.info.gov.hk.