HKSAR chief executive lauds women's role in ensuring enduring success of "one country, two systems"

HONG KONG, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam on Tuesday applauded women's solid role in ensuring the enduring success of "one country, two systems."

Extending her greetings on the occasion of the International Women's Day on March 8, Lam said since Hong Kong's return to the motherland 25 years ago, women have done their best in different positions to promote the development of Hong Kong as indispensable builders.

The current-term HKSAR government is committed to creating an enabling environment to ensure women's equitable access to resources and opportunities in society, and to promote women's active participation in social affairs, Lam said.

In the public sector, female civil servants and female chief-level civil servants currently account for nearly 40 percent of the overall civil service workforce, the chief executive said.

Policy measures implemented by the HKSAR government include increasing the statutory maternity leave to 14 weeks, enhancing childcare services, providing more baby-sitting rooms in government premises, and amending legislation to protect breastfeeding women from being discriminated, Lam noted.

Lam highlighted women's role in Hong Kong's fight against COVID-19. For more than two years, women have acted as medical and nursing staff, both front-line and behind-the-scenes anti-epidemic personnel, and volunteers, among others, with day and night work protecting the health of the general public.

Lam said Hong Kong is now facing a raging fifth wave of COVID-19 infections, the HKSAR government, with the full support of the central authorities, is making every effort to tame and control the epidemic as soon as possible, which is the overriding mission at present.

She thanked the women and all Hong Kong people for their cooperation in the epidemic fight and hoped that the Lion Rock Spirit of grit will shine and all walks of life will pull together to fight the outbreak.