The signing ceremony of the memorandum of cooperation between the City University of Macau (CityU) and the Women’s General Association of Macau (Women’s Association) was held today at the service complex of the Women’s Association. Under the witnesses of Ms Fei Chunyan, office head of the Social Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, Prof Jun Liu, Rector of CityU, and Ms Lau Kam Ling, Chairwoman of the Women’s General Association of Macau, Ms Cintia Chan, Pro-Rector of CityU, and, Ms Un Sio Leng, Chairwoman of Board of Directors of the Women’s General Association of Macau, signed the memorandum of cooperation (MoC). The MoC aims to promote the partnership between the two sides. Consensus has been reached in six major areas, including joint research projects, organisation of seminars and academic conferences, exchanges of academic information, cooperation in social services, and provision of internship opportunities and social work training. To promote complementary strengths and joint development and lay the foundation for both sides to jointly promote social work practices, academic research, and human resource training.
During the occasion, Rector Jun Liu led a delegation to conduct a field visit to the Women’s Association and exhibition hall at the service complex to learn about the development and mission of the Women’s Association. CityU’s delegation held exchanges with Chairwoman Lau Kam Ling on various topics, including caring for women and children, joining hands to nurture talents and serving a harmonious society.
At the signing ceremony, Chairwoman Lau Kam Ling said that the MoC is a new practice for collaboration between the social service organisation and the higher education institution. Going forward, Chairwoman Lau hoped to actively promote the innovative development and service construction of social services in major national strategies such as the Belt and Road Initiative, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin so as to spur Macao’s adequate economic diversification; help Macao better integrate into the overall national development; nurture more patriotic and Macao-loving talents; lead young people to grasp the development opportunities raised in the new era; in a bid to compose a new chapter of the successful practice of “One Country, Two Systems” with Macao characteristics.
In his address at the signing ceremony, Rector Jun Liu said that he had led a visit to the Women’s Association in May last year to explore potential future cooperations between the two institutions, hoping to join hands to nurture talents for the caring for women and children, serving the community and promoting harmonious family building. With the signing of the MoC today, Rector Liu said that the two sides would be able to realise their visions formed in the previous meeting and carry out more practical collaborations in academic research andactivities, mutual use of resource, social service projects, student internships and social work professional training, so as to transform the education achievements into resources for social services and contribute to the social services in Macao and the Guangdong-Hong Kong- Macao Greater Bay Area.
During the meeting, Chairwoman Lau Kam Ling said that the Women’s Association has played a vital role in safeguarding women’s rights, building harmonious families and providing services to local residents over the past 72 years. The Women’s Association offers a wide range of social services across Macao, contributing to the long-term prosperity and stability of Macao’s community. She said that the Women’s Association attaches great importance to nurturing and building a young talent pipeline. The Women’s Association has maintained close exchanges with CityU over the years to promote the overall development of Macao’s talents. Chairwoman Lau noted that CityU has continued to encourage students to join field study to learn from affiliated organisations of the Women’s Association, arrange scholars to deliver lectures at the Women’s Association, and organise youth volunteers to participate in community services, which have laid a solid foundation for further collaboration between the two sides.
Rector Liu expressed his gratitude to Chairwoman Lau for her support for the collaboration between the two universities and commended the Women’s Association for its pragmatic initiatives to improve the status of women in society and protect children. He hoped that in the future, both sides would work together in various areas, including nurturing social work talents; promoting big health development (anti-ageing, stress resistance and speech therapy for children); engaging students to serve in the front line of the community; recommending scholars to give thematic lectures and integrate theory and practice; enhancing women’s leadership training and public speaking skills; so as to working together for the prosperity and stability of Macao and the building of a harmonious society.
Guests attended the event also included: Ms Wong Suk Yan, Vice-Chairwoman of the Women’s General Association of Macau; Ms Chong Leng Leng, Vice-Chairwoman- cum Secretary-General of Board of Directors of Women’s General Association of Macau; Ms Ho Kan Ian, Standing Board Member and Service General-Manager of the Women’s General Association of Macau; Ms Sou Man I, Head of FUFA Child and Family Centre; Prof Lixian Jin, Dean of Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of CityU; Ms Che Ka I, Director of Rector’s Office of CityU; Ms Lok Chan Nei, Programme Coordinator Department of Innovative Social Work at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of CityU; Mr Cheng Chun Wah, Internship Supervisor of Department of Innovative Social Work at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of CityU.
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