The Jockey Club Age-friendly City Partnership Scheme was initiated and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. Amongst the almost 300 participating companies and organizations this year, more than two-thirds were first-time joiners, indicating that the community at large is increasingly more keen to promote age-friendly measures.

Officiating at the opening ceremony, Mr Chris Sun, Secretary for Labour and Welfare, said, “Tripartite collaboration among the Government, the business sector and the community is the key to cope with the ageing population in Hong Kong. The Partnership Scheme encourages different stakeholders to develop an age-friendly culture in the community and provide useful resources to elderly people and the soon-to-be-olds, so they can achieve active ageing in the community. It also enhances the public awareness over the importance of an age-friendly city.”

Mr Bryan Wong, Head of Charities (Ageing and Elderly Care) of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, said given that positive ageing and elderly care is one of the Club’s charity priority areas, the Club has been dedicated to supporting a wide variety of projects to deal with the challenges and opportunities brought by the ageing population in Hong Kong. “We look forward to having more companies join hands with us in the future,” he added.

Representatives from the award-winning companies and organisations were also invited to share their best practices and practical experiences in sharing sessions themed “Co-create an inclusive world for the elderly” and “Age-friendly measures tap new business opportunities and compete for talents”, so as to help the audience understand the importance and benefits of implementing age-friendly measures.

For more information on the JCAFC Project, please visit: www.jcafc.hk or www.facebook.com/HKJCAFC.