Government Launches I&T Leadership Seminar to Enhance Digital Skills and Cybersecurity for Senior Management

Innovation and Technology leadership series thematic seminar held to enhance capabilities of Government senior management in spearheading implementation of digital government

The Digital Policy Office (DPO) and the Civil Service College (CSC) jointly launched the Innovation and Technology (I&T) leadership series thematic seminar for the senior management of the Government today (November 27). The seminar series serves to further enhance the understanding and capabilities of the senior management in information system management, cybersecurity and data security, thereby enabling them to lead their teams to build a secure and high-quality digital government. The first seminar held today was attended by about 80 senior directorates from various government bureaux and departments.

In delivering his opening remarks, the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong said, "The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government understands that digital security is the prerequisite for high-quality development. In this regard, as we are actively driving the digital transformation of public services, we have to spare no effort in enhancing cybersecurity of government departments and other public bodies to provide more stable and high-quality public services. With the importance the Government attaches to I&T development, the directorate management has to be well-equipped with emergency response capabilities and bottom-line thinking in handling technology incidents. They should also encourage frontline staff in the departments to navigate the digital landscape with agility in order to enhance the quality and effectiveness of public services delivery."

In his welcome remarks, the Head of the CSC, Mr Oscar Kwok, said that promoting I&T application is a strategic imperative for the HKSAR Government to improve the efficacy of governance and the quality of public services, and steering of senior leaders is the key. In addition to adopting an innovative mindset, leaders should drive reforms with vigour and have the courage to overcome the inertia of conventional modus operandi and delineation of authorities and responsibilities in order to drive departments to leverage technology for innovation. They also need to strengthen information systems security, cybersecurity and data security, and strike a balance between technology application and safeguarding security. Furthermore, senior leaders should create an organisational culture that embraces I&T and prioritise staff training. They should foster an open environment that is conducive for staff to actively involve themselves in technology application and proactively exchange and collaborate with other departments for service enhancements. These will in turn foster innovation in society, and drive Hong Kong's economic restructuring and sustainable development in the long run.

This seminar marks the beginning of the thematic series for enhancing digital skills and digital government management capabilities of the senior management of the Government. Speakers of the seminar included the Commissioner for Digital Policy, Mr Tony Wong, with topics covering strengthening project governance of information systems, protection of cybersecurity and leveraging central information and technology platforms. The DPO also invited an industry representative in cybersecurity and I&T applications to share and exchange views, enabling government officials to keep abreast of the latest trends in cybersecurity and related technical products and solutions. The DPO will continue to closely collaborate with the CSC to provide relevant training with a view to broadening the scope of knowledge and horizons of civil servants, as well as encouraging them to enhance public services with wider application of technology.

Innovation and Technology leadership series thematic seminar held to enhance capabilities of Government senior management in spearheading implementation of digital government Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Innovation and Technology leadership series thematic seminar held to enhance capabilities of Government senior management in spearheading implementation of digital government Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Innovation and Technology leadership series thematic seminar held to enhance capabilities of Government senior management in spearheading implementation of digital government Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Innovation and Technology leadership series thematic seminar held to enhance capabilities of Government senior management in spearheading implementation of digital government Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Opening remarks by SJ at welcome dinner of 11th Asia and Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association of Prosecutors

Following are the opening remarks by the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, at the welcome dinner of the 11th Asia and Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) today (November 27):

Vice President of the IAP First Deputy Prosecutor General Tong Jianming, Secretary General of the IAP Mr Roel Dona, Attorneys General, Prosecutors General, Mr Grenville Cross, delegates, ladies and gentlemen:

Good evening. Welcome to Hong Kong. I wish to extend my gratitude to each and every one of you for joining this welcome dinner, which marks the commencement of the 11th Asia and Pacific Regional Conference of the IAP. This evening, we have representatives of prosecutorial agencies and organisations from around 30 jurisdictions; and of course, friends and colleagues from Hong Kong. In particular, we are deeply honoured to be joined by a number of very special and important guests, to whom I feel obliged to extend a personal warm welcome.

First, we are most honoured to be joined by the Vice President of the IAP, Mr Tong Jianming. Mr Tong is the First Deputy Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate of the People's Republic of China. Key officials of the IAP are also present: they include the Secretary-General of the IAP Mr Roel Dona, the General Counsel Ms Shenaz Muzaffer, the Executive Director Ms Janne Holst Hubner, and the Executive Administration Manager Mr Benn van Alphen.

Last but certainly not the least, Mr Grenville Cross, SC. Mr Cross, as most of you know, served as Director of Public Prosecutions of the Department of Justice from 1997 to 2009. In 2008, Mr Cross was awarded the Certificate of Merit of the International Association of Prosecutors at the IAP's 13th Annual Conference in Singapore. It was indeed Mr Cross who led the Prosecutions Division of the Department of Justice of Hong Kong into the IAP's organisational membership back in 2001. Grenville, we are truly delighted to have you with us tonight.

For those of you coming from the Mainland and other places outside Hong Kong, I hope all of you have made a smooth and enjoyable journey here. No matter whether this is the first time you come here or not, I hope that, by the end of the conference, you will be convinced that Hong Kong has remained to be a lively and vibrant international city where the East and the West meet.

You may wonder why we have chosen to host this welcome dinner in this restaurant at the Happy Valley Racecourse of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. This is, of course, not because I wish to encourage any gambling even though you are most welcome to try your luck for fun later. There are indeed some much more serious reasons. The Hong Kong Jockey Club has a very long history. It was founded back in 1884 shortly after the British occupied Hong Kong. When China resumed sovereignty over Hong Kong on July 1, 1997, by adopting the principle of "one country, two systems", in order to reassure people both here in Hong Kong and outside Hong Kong that people here may maintain the same lifestyle as before, one guarantee given by the Central People's Government is that "horse-racing shall continue", "馬照跑舞照跳". Indeed, not only that horse racing has continued, the Hong Kong Jockey Club has thrived. It is now the largest taxpayer in Hong Kong, the largest community benefactor and one of the city's major employers. More importantly, its Charities Trust is one of the world's top 10 charity donors. The point that I wish to make is that the Hong Kong Jockey Club serves as one of the best examples to demonstrate the successful implementation of the principle of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong.

Tonight, we have the privilege of enjoying this welcome dinner in the beautiful setting of the Millions restaurant that offers stunning views of the Happy Valley Racecourse. We are here at a most optimal time, as races are generally held on Wednesday evenings. I believe that tonight's races will begin very shortly. I am sure that you are all very excited to experience the thrill of horse racing in person at this unique venue, characterised by an ambience which serves as a reminder of the vibrancy of urban life in Hong Kong.

Ladies and gentlemen, this evening serves as an opportunity for us to catch up with old friends and perhaps to make new friends. It is meant to be a relaxing and exciting warm up exercise for the conference which will start formally tomorrow morning.

So without further ado, let the welcome dinner begin. I wish you all a very enjoyable evening of good food, good conversation, good fun and good luck. Thank you very much.