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The Honourable Chief Secretary for Administration Mr Chan Kwok-ki, Honourable Director General Cai Wei, Honourable Deputy Commissioner Fang Jianming, Honourable President Mohamed Benalilou (First Vice President of International Ombudsman Institute), Honourable President Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi (President of Asian Ombudsman Association), Consul-generals, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning.  It gives me great pleasure and honour to be here this morning to welcome you all to the International Ombudsman Summit 2024.    On behalf of the Office of The Ombudsman, Hong Kong, China, I would like to once again extend the warmest welcome to every one of you.

This International Ombudsman Summit, with the theme of “Ombudsman in a Changing World: Learning from the Past; Preparing for the Future” marks a significant milestone. Around 140 esteemed speakers and participants from ombudsman and related institutions from 40 countries across the globe covering 6 continents come together in this Summit for the very first time here in Hong Kong.  We are most grateful to have with us a line-up of over 20 illustrious speakers, including senior leaders from the National Commission of Supervision and National Public Complaints and Proposals Administration from capital Beijing, International Ombudsman Institute, Asian Ombudsman Association, and ombudsmen from different jurisdictions, who will share their insights, experiences, and expertise.  Their contribution will provide inspirations for thoughts in reflecting from the past experience, and preparing for the future in a world that is rapidly changing.   I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all our speakers for their valuable contribution and support.

This Summit serves as an excellent platform for dialogue and catalyst for collaboration, bringing together diverse perspectives from across continents, regions and countries while we journey through three main topics of the Summit: reflecting the past, looking forward into the future and exploring on mediation and multi-agencies collaboration.

Thirty-five years ago, my Office began a meaningful mission to propel administrative fairness, accountability and transparency. Through conducting robust, independent and objective investigations into complaints and our quests, we have been identifying and making recommendations where public administration and services can improve.  Today, we reflect on our core values that have strengthened our commitments to excellence, and we remain dedicated to upholding these enduring principles that have guided us through decades.

Since assuming the role of The Ombudsman earlier this year, I have spearheaded three new strategic directions with a view to promoting efficient and people-oriented public administration while encouraging government departments and public organisations to address public concerns with a positive and collaborative attitude. My three strategic directions are, wider use of mediation for efficient and amicable resolution of complaints, intensifying interdepartmental collaboration to resolve complex issues faced by the public, and fostering a positive culture towards complaints.

Among these, mediation and collaboration are deeply rooted in Asian cultures and Chinese philosophy. The use of mediation to resolve complaints involving minor or no maladministration, coupled with promotion of multi-agencies collaboration, provides a solid ground for the complainants and government departments or public organisations involved to develop a healthy relationship and explore mutually satisfactory solutions in a speedy manner.  While handling cases through traditional investigation can often take months, mediation can resolve disputes within a short span, as short as within one day from our experience.  We have witnessed countless successful cases of redressing public grievances and resolving disputes through mediation.

Through mediation and multi-agency collaboration, administrative arrangements can be optimised and resulting in better and more effective services to the public. Also, public dissatisfaction can be alleviated and social conflicts be prevented, thus enabling the society to focus efforts on economic development and improving livelihoods.  This brings us to my third strategic direction, vigorously promoting positive complaints culture.  We encourage members of the public to express opinions with a positive and proactive mindset.  For government departments and public organisations, we encourage focused listening and understanding the difficulties faced by the public, as well as proactively addressing their concerns.   All in all, we, as the Ombudsman, our community and our Government, should all joint hands and share common goals of enhancing public administration and services and betterment of livelihood.

This year, the Office of The Ombudsman, Hong Kong, China, proudly enters into our 35^th year of operation. We will carry forward proudly the dedication to our core values, meet all future challenges with confidence and press ahead my three strategic directions with full steam.

Strength lies in unity. By fostering collaboration and sharing knowledge among fellow ombudsmen, we can learn from each other and be wiser and smarter. I am delighted that after the Summit today, we will sign Memorandum of Understanding with eight fellow ombudsman organisations from all over the world to foster international cooperation.  We look forward to our enhanced cooperation and communication.

Let us seize the opportunity today to reflect, to inspire, to share, to learn, to collaborate and to support.  May I wish you a fruitful, and productive and rewarding Summit.  For all our delegates from outside Hong Kong, I wish you a very enjoyable stay in our vibrant city. Thank you.