Happenings

Our Highlight
Event
A Dialogue on Building Resilient Urban-Rural Partnerships

To kick off our conference and network launch event for the Network for the Study of Social-Ecological Systems (SES) Transformations, the Centre for Civil Society and Governance hosted a public dialogue on “Building Resilient Urban-Rural Partnerships.” We were very pleased to welcome network members from across the Asia-Pacific region, alongside practitioners, government representatives, and guests […]

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Event
Network for the Study of Social Ecological Systems (SES) Transformation – Network launch

The first conference and official launch of the Network for the Study of Social Ecological System (SES) Transformation will take place as a two-day event on 5–6 May 2026, organised by the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at The University of Hong Kong. The network brings together scholars working on social-ecological systems, governance, commons, […]

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Award and Achievement
Congratulations to Dr. Vivian Chu on the Early Career Teaching Award 2025

We are delighted to announce that Dr. Vivian Chu, Lecturer at the Centre for Civil Society and Governance, Faculty of Social Sciences and Programme Co-Director of Master of Social Sciences in Sustainability Leadership and Governance, has been awarded the Early Career Teaching Award at HKU’s Excellence Awards Presentation Ceremony. The award recognises her unwavering commitment […]

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Event
Empowering Inclusive Sports through Cross-Sector Collaboration: Brining VR Cycling into Rehabilitation Services

The Centre for Civil Society and Governance (CCSG) at HKU, through the “Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment,” is dedicated to building cross-sector platforms that connect diverse stakeholders to realize the goals of inclusive employment and living. Recently, our project team partnered with local shared-cycling brand Locobike to host an inclusive cycling workshop at […]

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Event
Building a Vibrant Social Enterprise Ecosystem: Insights from the “ESG Social Contribution Award”

Recently, The Hong Kong General Chamber of Social Enterprises (HKGCSE) successfully organised the inaugural “ESG Social Contribution Award”, celebrating companies that have long supported social enterprises and fostering greater collaboration between the corporate and social sectors. As one of the panel speakers, Dr. Winnie Law, Deputy Director at the Centre for Civil Society and Governance […]

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Event
Searching for the Sustainability Purposes of Business—an Inspiring Case for the Textile and Apparel Industry

For decades, the textile and apparel industry has been associated with environmentally polluting practices and labour‑intensive production.These have flagged at many fronts of the sustainability agendas. Plenty of brands and companies have progressed and reduced social and environmental harms through innovation and technology. At Esquel, we saw the start of a paradigm shift towards sustainability […]

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Event
Hong Kong Inclusion Summit 2026

Under the Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment, the Centre for Civil Society and Governance is delighted to participate in the Hong Kong Inclusion Summit 2026, hosted by @SCMP LIVE, together with all our project partners. Our project set up an exhibition booth to showcase our work and seize this valuable opportunity to connect […]

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Event
Workshop on Special Issue in Voluntas: The Nonprofit Sector and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)

The workshop on the Special Issue in Voluntas: The Nonprofit Sector and ESG, organised by the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at The University of Hong Kong, was successfully convened on January 8-9, 2026. This engaging two-day event brought together scholars, as well as professionals from the corporate and nonprofit sectors, to discuss the fascinating […]

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Event

Leveraging Resources for Inclusive Employment for People with Disabilities

14:00 - 17:30

Inclusive employment of people with disabilities (PWD) is an important aspect of social inclusion. As a signature event of Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment, this seminar will focus on understanding the current situation of inclusive employment and exploring the possibilities of leveraging community resources and collective efforts to facilitate inclusive employment of PWD. At the seminar, the one-stop Platform for Inclusion website will be launched. Also, preliminary key findings from a community-wide survey on Hong Kong people’s views towards inclusive employment of PWD will be released during a panel discussion. Details of the seminar are as follows – Date: 6/11/2021 (Saturday) Time: 14:00 – 17:30 Venue: Rayson Huang Theatre, HKU Language: Cantonese, supplemented with sign language Mode: Approximately 180 onsite participants and Facebook live   Let’s join hands to achieve inclusive employment! Register here NOW – https://ccsg-hku.surveycake.biz/s/wewgO

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Event

Social Innovations for Sustainable Communities – Cohort 2 is NOW open

The incubation and funding scheme (Cohort 2) of the Social Innovations for Sustainable Communities is now open for application till 28 June 2021. Besides interactive excursions to learn about different social innovation projects and community works, our Learning Programme aims to facilitate you to transform into sustainability catalysers. You will also get a chance to win a seed grant for putting your ideas into actions!

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Event

Different Paths to Sustainability: A Roundtable of UNESCO Award-winning Heritage Projects from Hong Kong

13:30 - 17:15

A total of 21 Hong Kong’s conservation projects has been awarded the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation since 2000. This Roundtable calls upon the awardees to review how they understand sustainability as the pathway to continue the conservation effort, and to reflect on their contribution to the building of a sustainable community since the receiving of the UNESCO award. Participating projects include: Award of Merit in 2007 – Little Hong Kong Award of Merit in 2013 – Tai O Heritage Hotel Award of Excellence in 2017 – The Blue House Cluster Award for New Design in Heritage Context in 2019 – The Mills Special Recognition for Sustainable Development in 2020 – Lai Chi Wo Rural Cultural Landscape Date｜June 26, 2021 Time｜13:30-17:15 Venue｜Atrium, The Mills Fabrica Format｜Join us at the venue (quota: 50) or via Zoom; Facebook live broadcast available Language｜Mainly Cantonese For registration and details, please visit us at https://ccsg.hku.hk/ruralsd/en/pages/academy/a-roundtable-of-unesco-award-winning-heritage-projects-from-hong-kong/?fbclid=IwAR0ZhxmvdbM0S2axBZSsE_C1IVNoC6Z-kqObFdzwTsWkCrVsoyNp32f5pyQ

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Event

Social Innovations for Sustainable Communities’ Learning Programme is re-launching!

Initiated by the Social Entrepreneurship and Civic Action Lab of the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at The University of Hong Kong, the “Social Innovations for Sustainable Communities” Programme (the Programme) aims to enrich and expand the frontier of the ecosystem for social entrepreneurship in Hong Kong with a view to preparing the community for meeting long-term local sustainability challenges, and crowdsourcing ideas and actions through incubating a corps of intergenerational “sustainability catalysers” consisting of young professionals and young old. The Programme connects different sectors for collective action to encourage re-thinking of how existing processes of resource allocation and utilization can be reconfigured to create new possibilities and blended values. The Programme is supported by Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited.   Apart from our incubation and funding scheme, our most popular Learning Programme series has invited numerous VIP speakers to have interactive dialogues with participants regarding the latest trend and happenings in the social innovation sector! We have included topics such as the latest trend of social innovation, how does the sector face challenges in the midst of challenging times, strategies for fund application, business modelling, design thinking, and blended values! You will undoubtedly be equipped as a social innovator after joining the Programme. Don’t miss the chance and join us now!   Programme Details: https://ccsg.hku.hk/sisc/incubation-lp.php#incubation-lp-cohort2 Application: https://ccsg-hku.surveycake.biz/s/NwVLL   Remark 1: Live streaming with limited face-to-face quotas on a first-come-first-served basis Remark 2: Learning Programme (3) Design Thinking in Action is themed “empathizing colour blinded people”. The session will be conducted face-to-face only

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Event

“Sustainability and the ‘New Normal’: Building Business Preparedness and Leveraging New Opportunities” Knowledge Primer

14:30 - 16:30

As ESG, Sustainable Investing and Business Sustainability are gaining momentum worldwide, what is the best way for businesses to progress from the global pandemic and build for a more resilient and sustainable growth? At the “Sustainability and the ‘New Normal’: Building Business Preparedness and Leveraging New Opportunities” Knowledge Primer, we bring together sustainability experts and industry practitioners to discuss how integrating ESG risks and opportunities into core business strategies can enhance their adaptiveness to the New Normal challenges, help attain long-term resilience in the value chains while contributing to a sustainable future. Join us on 11th June 2021 (14:30 – 16:30 GMT+8) for an eventful afternoon on Business Sustainability! Register here NOW: https://bit.ly/3uWfXKQ At the event, the programme also officially launches the Sustainable Value Chains (SVC) Commitment and SMEs Sustainability Leadership Recognition Scheme, which connect large corporates and SMEs and provide capacity building resources to co-create SVC in Hong Kong and the region.

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Event

The Future Belongs to You: Let’s make our Climate Actions count

10:30 - 00:00

The COP26 Summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The UK, in partnership with Italy, will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) this November in Glasgow. This represents a key moment globally to accelerate towards the Paris Agreement and a net-zero transition. The Centre for Civil Society and Governance and the School of Biological Sciences are pleased to invite Mrs. Tamsin Heath, Acting British Consul General to Hong Kong and Macao, and Mr. Clemente Contestabile, Consul General of Italy in Hong Kong, to talk about the goals that have been set out for COP26, how we move to a clean economy, and the role of young people in climate change action. Date 22 May 2021 (Saturday) Time 10:30am – 12nn Venue CPD-3.28, The Jockey Club Tower, Centennial Campus, The University of Hong Kong Format Face-to-face & Online streaming Speakers Mrs. Tamsin Heath (Acting British Consul General to Hong Kong and Macao) & Mr. Clemente Contestabile (Consul General of Italy in Hong Kong) Moderator Dr Terry Van Gevelt (Assistant Professor in Environmental Sustainability, Department of Politics and Public Administration, HKU) Language English Organisers HKU Centre for Civil Society and Governance and Master of Social Sciences in Corporate Environmental Governance Programme HKU School of Biological Sciences and Master of Science in Environmental Management Programme British Consulate-General Hong Kong Consulate General of Italy in Hong Kong

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Event

The International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC) 2021: Urban Commons Virtual Conference

Commoning in the rural-urban interface Rapid urbanization has often taken place at the expense of rural resources and the communities in which these resources are embedded.  Urban development is often premised solely on generating economic returns, and is considered to be at loggerheads with the vibrancy of rural areas.  Rural ecological services, however, are important to sustainable cities; perhaps more importantly, the cultural heritage and social capital rooted in rural communities are a coherent part of a city’s identity.  How to manage and revitalize rural resources amid urbanization so as to attain a sustainable rural-urban interface is a major challenge for many big cities, particularly those in Asia.  To what extent a commoning approach can help manage and revitalize rural resources?  What are the opportunities and challenges for practicing commoning in the rural-urban interface? Convenor: Professor Wai-Fung Lam from the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at The University of Hong Kong Register to participate, or Submit your Abstract!

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Event

E-launch of Partnership for Sustainability Leadership in Business

14:30 - 15:30

The Centre’s Policy for Sustainability Lab has organized the E-launch of Partnership for Sustainability Leadership in Business (PSLB)on November 6, 2020 (Friday). During the E-launch, 4 sustainable business leaders from SMEs shared their views on the topic “Thriving with a Sustainability Mindset in the Midst of Pandemic”, along with the first video screening featuring 9 distinguished guests’ wisdom on the theme “Partnership for Sustainability Leadership in Business: The Creation of Sustainable Value Chains”. Details of the event are as follows: Date: November 6, 2020 (Friday) Time: 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm Format: Online via Zoom Language: Cantonese Topic: “Thriving with a Sustainability Mindset in the Midst of Pandemic”

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Event

Building a Thriving Social Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

“Building a Thriving Social Entrepreneurial Ecosystem” is a signature public event for the Social Innovations for Sustainable Communities initiated by the Social Entrepreneurship and Civic Action Lab of the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at the University of Hong Kong. Co-organised with Ashoka, the world’s largest working community of more than 3,000 leading social entrepreneurs, the event will be first-of-its-kind in Hong Kong, featuring interactive dialogues between the incubators and social innovators facilitating spontaneous exchange of ideas on a sustainable social entrepreneurial ecosystem.

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