In conjunction with the International Women’s Day, the Consulate General in Hong Kong organised a series of events on gender equality with the support from the Swedish Institute in March 2024.
The campaign was kicked off by a launch event exactly on the International Women’s Day. The event was to officially launch the “Her Rights” exhibition, jointly organised by the Consulate, the University of Hong Kong (HKU)’s Gender Studies programme and HKU Libraries. Remarks were delivered by Consul General Louise Bergholm; Dr Elizabeth LaCouture, Director of the Gender Studies programme; and Ms Flora Ng, University Librarian and Chief Information Officer. Some students of the Gender Studies programme also shared on stage their reflections after previewing the exhibition, which was launched in Hong Kong for the very first time. About 40 guests from HKU exchanged views on gender equality in both Sweden and Hong Kong after the kick-off ceremony.
Next, the “Her Rights” exhibition was up for about a month at the HKU Main Library, a core location of the university campus. It recorded an estimated number of 12500 visitors in total. Feedback from the visitors was highly positive: they reported that the exhibition contains multiple perspectives and areas on economic gender equality. They were impressed by Sweden’s effort in achieving gender equality as well.
On 14 March, the Consulate was invited to speak at a guest lecture of the “Gender, Generation & Leadership” course at the HKU Gender Studies programme. Consul General Louise Bergholm talked about her career as a diplomat, striking a balance between work and family, and how the various family friendly policies in Sweden helped achieve greater gender equality. On the other hand, Crystal Pang, Senior Communication & Promotion Officer who was an alumna of the HKU Faculty of Arts, shared her experience and tips on career planning and achieving goals. Students were well-prepared and raised many thoughtful questions after viewing the exhibition, enabling a lively exchange with the speakers. They also contrasted differences between Sweden and their places of origin.
To conclude the campaign, the Consul General hosted a discussion at her residence for selected female guests from academia, NGO and corporate fields to discuss economic gender equality in Hong Kong, moderated by representatives of the Gender Studies programme. During the energetic discussion, the guests reviewed the history of gender equality in Hong Kong. Coming from a great variety of backgrounds, they also mentioned the topics that they were passionate about: education, finance, reproduction health and rights, balance between work and family, etc. All in all, it was a great evening for everyone to meet new and old friends. Guests of the discussion were also grateful that the Consulate took initiative to organise such an event.
The campaign might be over, but the work for gender equality will never stop. The Consulate will continue promoting gender equality in the city with follow-up activities given the great interest and response on the series.