A case for inclusion: Carrie Lam pledges to tout list of 16 ethnic minority Hongkongers for government advisory positions

Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor promised to distribute a freshly released “diversity list” – comprising 16 Hongkongers of ethnic minority descent qualified and willing to serve on government advisory bodies – to all 13 of the city’s bureaus to promote inclusion.

Speaking at the list’s public unveiling on Monday, Lam said she wanted it to be embraced not only “by the Chief Secretary for Administration herself” but by her 13 principal official colleagues heading up government bureaus and responsible for nominating individuals to sit on boards and committees under their respective purviews.

Diversity list: Foundation to publish list of ethnic minority representatives willing to serve on government committees

The foundation’s founder Shalini Mahtani said the final candidates were selected “based on merit only” and that their ethnicity, gender and age were not further considered after they were deemed eligible to be considered for the list.

Candidate Theresa Cunanan, a senior lecturer at Baptist University, expressed hope over the initiative. “If Carrie Lam is here today to receive the list, this is one step for the government,” she said.

The foundation received 62 nominees after they reached out to close to 70 related organisations, consulates general and communities about putting together a list of candidates for the government to appoint to various advisory bodies and committees, of which ethnic minorities were at present grossly underrepresented.

The 16 finalists: