Hongkonger who worked for UN and died in Ethiopian Airlines crash remembered as ‘passionate, inspirational and global-minded’
- Victor Tsang worked on gender equality for United Nations, and was married with a young son
- More than 150 people were killed on Sunday when a Boeing 737 crashed outside Addis Ababa
“Waking up today wishing that yesterday’s news was just a bad dream,” a colleague wrote on Tsang’s Facebook page on Monday. “Victor is a huge inspiration and guide, true friend and colleague that have achieved so much for gender equality, for a better world – his enthusiasm is infectious, his personality engaging and kind.
“Victor Tsang – you’re one of a kind and I will continue to carry your spirit in everything I do.”
According to Tsang’s LinkedIn profile, he had been working for almost eight years to strengthen gender equality, including for three years with the environment programme, and four years at the World Food Programme.
He visited rural communities in Laos, Nepal, South Sudan and Uganda for field research on gender equality.
Tsang’s latest position was as a UN policy officer on sustainable development, and he was listed as the contact person for talks on Sustainable Development Goals at a five-day UN Environment Assembly session starting on Monday in Nairobi.
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Despite being based in Africa, Tsang came back to Hong Kong last October to talk about sustainability as a guest lecturer to a group of undergraduates on Global Studies at Chinese University, where he studied as an undergraduate more than 10 years ago.
“My message was simple. Our world is never equal, and equity is at the heart of the topic of sustainable development,” he wrote in his blog about the class, adding that he was deeply impressed by the enthusiasm and critical thinking of the young students.
Gary Wong Chi-him, who met Tsang through the global youth organisation AIESEC, said his mentor was a simple and kind-hearted man, who was passionate about sustainable development.
Although Tsang’s undergraduate degree was in business, he later went on to study development and international relations.
“All the way, he had not thought about working in Hong Kong,” Wong said. “From AIESEC time, he’s always been a global-minded young person passionate in sustainable development – he’s a rare breed in Hong Kong.”
She said Tsang was happy to share his experiences with her, and happily talked about having the opportunity to raise his son “as a multicultural and global citizen”.
CUHK expressed its condolences and praised Tsang’s “remarkable contributions to society”.
“He hoped to increase the level of concern for the environment and create a better future for the next generation,” the university said in statement.
“Mr Tsang’s enthusiasm for promoting sustainable development was truly admirable.”
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Of the 19 UN workers that died in the crash, six worked in the organisation’s office in Nairobi, seven worked for the World Food Programme, and the rest came from other agencies.
Eight Chinese nationals, including five men and three women, were among the 149 passengers and eight crew killed after the Boeing 737 flight from Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, to Nairobi crashed minutes after taking off.
A spokesman for China’s foreign ministry said the eight included four employees of Chinese companies, two citizens who worked for the UN, and tourists, and said it had offered help to the victim’s families.
