PR2019_11_07

Greater Bay Area Impact Forum Foundation Launches
Public Consultation on a Study Ranking Greater Bay Area Cities Using the
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG)

Hong Kong 07 November 2019

Greater Bay Area Impact Forum Foundation (GBAIFF), Policy 21 Hong Kong Limited (Policy 21) and PwC Hong Kong yesterday launched a public consultation on the ranking of the Greater Bay Area 9+2 cities using United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG). The launch event was supported by PwC in its role as honorary advisor to the GBAIFF.

Founders of the GBAIFF officially launched the initial phase of the study, which will examine the progress of sustainable development under the UN SDG framework and develop a set of scores for the GBA 9+2 constituent cities. The findings will help inform GBA policy makers and other key stakeholders of progress, and guide actions that will contribute to sustainable development of the GBA, representing a milestone in urban development in China.

Speakers at the launch event included Dr. Judy Tsui, Senior Advisor to the Greater Bay Area Impact Forum Foundation; Mr. Hak Kwong Yip, Founding Director of Policy 21; Ms. Loretta Fong, PwC Hong Kong Assurance Partner; Dr. George Lam, BBS, President of the UNESCAP Sustainable Business Executive Council, and Mr. Fred Wang, Chairman of Salon Films Group.

Dr. Tsui said, “The UN SDG measures are recognized globally and will provide important benchmarks for our study, against which we will measure the rankings of GBA cities. Our public consultation with community stakeholders is intended to focus on those measures that address key concerns and opportunities, especially for the future of our youth.“

Mr. Yip discussed the methodology for the public consultation and for the study itself. He noted: “During the current six month phase, we will undertake a thorough public consultation in order to engage stakeholders and ensure that our project methodology that is adapted is relevant, and that the results are credible. Our analysis will rely not only upon statistics and proxy indicators, but also on case studies.”

Ms. Fong remarked, “We are delighted to serve as honorary advisor on this meaningful project, providing peer review services as well as policy and strategic recommendations. It is our honor to witness the launch of the public consultation with many supporters attending here today.”

Dr. C.K. Wong, Chairperson, iASPEC Technologies (Holdings) Limited and a founding member of GBAIFF; distinguished members of the GBAIFF Organizing and Program Committees, among them Dr. Lam; and Darren Fong, President of AIESEC (Hong Kong) and a member of the GBAIFF Youth and Education Committee, were present at the launch, as were representatives from some of the nearly 30 international and local supporting organizations, which include leading Chambers of Commerce, think tanks and academic institutions.

Dr. Raymond Ch’ien, Chairperson of the GBA Impact Forum Organizing Committee, observed: “As recent events in Hong Kong have shown, there is a demand by community stakeholders for forward-looking goals and policies to underpin our city’s broad local and global appeal and development in the future. Engaging and connecting with these stakeholders, particularly our youth, is essential for the sustainable development of Hong Kong and the GBA. We are grateful for the support that PwC and many other leading institutions have already shown to our Foundation.”

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About the Greater Bay Area Impact Forum Foundation
The Greater Bay Area Impact Forum Foundation is an NGO registered in Hong Kong. In addition to organizing its annual flagship event, the Greater Bay Area Impact Forum, the Foundation also funds research projects that are supportive of the Foundation’s mission; organizes exchange programs for tertiary education institutions in the GBA area; and hosts regular talks and seminars for students and industry practitioners in chosen high impact areas.

About Policy 21
Policy 21 is a leading internationally recognized independent research institute established by the University of Hong Kong in 2000 and independent since 2009. The institute has conducted over 700 research projects for universities in Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Japan, Asian government bureaus and departments, NGOs and business corporations. Policy 21 is a consultant to Asian Development Bank, Asia Foundation, UNDP, US AID, UNESCO and World Bank, covering Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

About PwC - Globally
At PwC, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. We’re a network of firms in 157 countries with over 276,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services. Find out more and tell us what matters to you by visiting us at www.pwc.com. PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details.

About the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG)
In 2015, member countries of the United Nations (UN) adopted the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) with the
objective to “end poverty and create shared prosperity on a healthy and peaceful planet.”
The SDG comprises 17 goals and some 130 metrics outlined here:

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大灣區影響力論壇基金會宣佈
按聯合國可持續發展目標（UN SDG）的各項指標， 對大灣區城市群
進行研究和評分的計劃展開公眾諮詢

香港，2019年11月7日—大灣區影響力論壇基金會（GBAIFF）、政策二十一（Policy 21）及羅兵咸永道（PwC）在昨天的發佈會上宣佈，就按聯合國可持續發展目標（UN SDG）對大灣區內9+2城市進行研究和評分的計划展開公眾諮詢活動。羅兵咸永道作為這研究項目的名譽顧問，為是次發佈會提供了多方面的支持。

這研究項目的內容包括：以聯合國的可持續發展目標作為基準，檢視大灣區內9+2 城市的可持續發展指標的各自達標程度，得出客觀評分，這些評分可為各城市的公共政策制定提供參考，共同推動大灣區可持續發展水平的提升。

發佈會上的主講專家和嘉賓包括：大灣區影響力論壇基金會資深顧問徐林倩麗博士、政策二十一主席暨創立總監葉克剛先生、羅兵咸永道香港審計部合夥人方蘊萱女士、聯合國亞洲及太平洋經濟社會公署ESBN執行委員會主席林家禮博士以及沙龍電影集團公司董事長汪長禹先生。

徐林倩麗博士表示：「聯合國可持續發展指標是一套全球眾多國家共同認可的準則，我們以這套準則作為研究項目的基礎，並且用這套準則所包含的十七項指標，對區內的城市進行客觀的計量和評分。今天啟動的公眾諮詢工作是希望能聽取社會上不同的持份者的意見，令這研究項目能更準確地聚焦在一些大眾關注的議題上，包括年青人對可持續發展的看法，對未來的看法。」

葉克剛先生在會上討論到公眾諮詢和研究項目的研究方法。他指出：「研究團隊將進行一個為期六個月的公眾諮詢，務求廣泛地接觸到更多的持份者，確保研究方法是合適和切題的，而且研究成果是客觀和可信的。除了用量化的統計數據來進行分析，研究團隊會利用這次機會整理出一些案例，並且發表相關的報告，加深大眾對問題的了解。」

方蘊萱女士致辭時說：「我們很高興能夠為這項別具意義的項目擔任名譽顧問，為項目提供同儕評審，提供一些政策和策略建議。我們很榮幸能參加這開展公眾諮詢工作的發佈會，並且與出席今天的發佈會的眾多支持者交流。」

基金會的聯合創辦人黃仲翹博士，大灣區影響力論壇的籌備委員會傑出成員包括林家禮博士，及香港國際經濟商管學生會（AIESEC Hong Kong）主席，暨大灣區影響力論壇的青年發展委員會成員方子森先生均出席了是此次發佈會。此外，各商會、智庫、學術機構、專業團体、行業組織近30個支持機構都派出代表，共50多人參加。

大灣區影響力論壇籌備委員會主席錢果豐博士提出他的看法：「香港社會近月的動蕩不安，揭示出社會上不同的持份者對香港的發展方式存著嚴重的分岐，更因缺乏一些富前瞻性的共同目標，公共政策的制訂難以產生共識。當一個社會缺乏共同目標，其競爭力和吸引力只會逐步下降。聯合國這套可持續發展目標，應該可以為香港以至整個大灣區的今後均衡發展提供很好的啟示，讓社會上不同的持份者，特別是年輕一代比較容易凝聚出客觀的共識，進而為今後發展的路向找到共同的目標。我們非常高興羅兵咸永道以及其他機構給這研究項目提供的協助和支持。」

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關於大灣區影響力論壇基金會
大灣區影響力論壇基金會是在香港註冊成立的非謀利、非政府機構。基金會每年主辦「大灣區影響力論壇」，同時資助一些與基金會目標相符的研究項目，也協助青年組織和學生組織，外出交流和學習以拓闊視野，又定期舉辦午餐會、晚宴講座等活動，邀請年青學生，關鍵行業的實踐者進行互動交流，促進了解。

關於政策二十一
政策二十一是香港一所國際知名的獨立研究機構，由香港大學於2000年建立並於2009年成為獨立智庫。政策二十一已為為香港、廣州和日本的大學、亞洲政府機關和部門、非政府組織和私人企業完成了700多項研究。同時，政策二十一是亞洲開發銀行、亞洲基金會、聯合國開發計劃署、美國國際開發署、聯合國教科文組織和世界銀行的顧問，研究地區涵蓋柬埔寨，中國，印度，印度尼西亞，菲律賓，泰國和越南。

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關於聯合國可持續發展目標（UN SDG）
2015年，聯合國成員國通過了「2030年可持續發展議程」，以實現「消除貧困，在健康和平的地球上創造共同繁荣」的可持續发展目標。可持續发展目標包括17點目標和約130項指標，詳情請參閱：
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

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