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Kristen Cheung

Beijing has recommended the largest-ever cohort of civil servants from Hong Kong for roles at United Nations agencies this year, expecting the deployments to broaden their global perspective and strengthen the city’s position as a bridge between the country and the international community.
The 16 officers sent under the UN Junior Professional Officer (JPO) scheme represent 13 grades and departments, including customs, police and the anti-corruption agency.
This marks a steady increase from the five officers sent in 2019, when Hong Kong joined the programme, and the 12 sent in 2023.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday said previous cohorts had excelled in fields spanning anti-drug operations, climate and resource coordination, trade and transport, and intellectual property protection.
“Previous batches contributed across fields, from drug enforcement to climate coordination. They earned high praise from the UN, with nearly half seeing their tenures extended at the organisation’s request,” he said.
“This affirms [the capabilities of] Hong Kong youth and strengthens our resolve to contribute to the international community.”
Lee said Hong Kong’s first five-year plan, set to be unveiled Wednesday next week, would align with the nation’s 15th five-year blueprint, and that dispatching young civil servants to the UN was part of the city’s effort to serve national diplomacy and meet global commitments by leveraging its professional strengths.
The UN JPO Programme provides young professionals with hands-on experience in international development and multilateral cooperation, with positions funded directly by sponsoring member governments.
The latest batch of officers will take up posts at the UN headquarters in New York, as well as in offices in Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi, this month.

Cui Jianchun, commissioner of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, said sending the city’s young public servants to UN agencies reflected Beijing’s efforts to leverage the “one country, two systems” governing framework by broadening their international exposure.
“Hong Kong’s young people are proficient in two written languages and three spoken languages, possess both Chinese and Western cultural backgrounds, and have unique advantages in professional capabilities and international perspective. They are valuable talent for the nation as it participates in global governance,” he said.
“As unilateralism and protectionism rise, the UN needs more talent to tackle global challenges. Hong Kong’s strengths in finance, intellectual property, anti-corruption and meteorology mean it is well placed to contribute more to global governance.”
Assistant Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Felix Yung Yik-ho, who will serve in the Department of Operational Support in New York, said he hoped to gain global governance experience and apply what he learned to the city.
“Working in Hong Kong as the international financial centre, we used to look at the world from a Hong Kong perspective. Now joining the UN will allow me to look back at China and Hong Kong from an international perspective,” he said.
Cindy Ho Pui-ha, an acting chief investigator with the Independent Commission Against Corruption, served at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna as part of the 2023 cohort.
She said she shared the city’s anti-corruption expertise while learning skills in multilateral cooperation.
“While Hong Kong has in recent years been smeared and misunderstood by some international media, serving in the UN gives me a chance to tell the story of Hong Kong and China,” she said.


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Officers sent under UN Junior Professional Officer scheme come from 13 grades and departments, topping earlier deployments in 2019 and 2023


Officers sent under UN Junior Professional Officer scheme come from 13 grades and departments, topping earlier deployments in 2019 and 2023.


Beijing sends record 16 Hong Kong civil servants for UN positions

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Officers sent under UN Junior Professional Officer scheme come from 13 grades and departments, topping earlier deployments in 2019 and 2023

Officers sent under UN Junior Professional Officer scheme come from 13 grades and departments, topping earlier deployments in 2019 and 2023