Hong Kong Watch Annual Crowdfunding 2024

This year, Hong Kong Watch is aiming to raise £100K to develop our global work in 2025 and your support is once again indispensable. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters like you, we were able to make the following policy changes and breakthroughs in 2024:

  • The Canadian government introduced the bridging open work permit (BOWP) for Hong Kong Pathway applicants, as a result of our advocacy efforts. A number of urgent permanent residency applications were approved after we escalated them to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for expedited processing.

  • Two trainees from our Youth Initiative Programme were offered permanent positions in the Canadian Parliament following the end of internships in their respective parliamentary offices.

  • We secured a hearing in the Canadian Parliament on the withholding of Hong Kongers’ Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) retirement savings, where Hong Kong Watch and executives from MPF trustees Manulife and Sun Life testified. A Hong Konger with Canadian permanent residency successfully withdrew their MPF savings from Manulife following the hearing.

  • Following the publication of our reports on the ties between Western pension funds and human rights violations in China, major Canadian pension funds exited, paused or reduced their investments in China.

  • Hong Kong Watch testified at hearings in the Canadian House of Commons and Senate in support of Bill C-70, which has been passed into law to counter foreign interference in Canada.


Our advocacy efforts this year include the following:

  • In the UK, our team is actively engaging with new Members of Parliament to ensure that Hong Kong remains a priority in Westminster and Whitehall following the recent change of government.

  • In the US, we briefed legislators on the National Security Law, Article 23 legislation, special privileges of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices (HKETOs), and more, with our original research and pushed for sanctioning Hong Kong government officials and the release of political prisoners in Hong Kong.

  • In the EU, we worked closely with the European Parliament to pass an urgency resolution condemning the passage of Article 23 legislation and calling for the release of all political prisoners in Hong Kong.

  • 18 United Nations Member States made Recommendations related to human rights violations in Hong Kong, at China’s Universal Periodic Review, after Hong Kong Watch held numerous advocacy meetings to brief UN Member States on the issue.


In the coming year, Hong Kong Watch will continue to speak up for Hong Kong and Hong Kongers, in London, Ottawa, Washington DC, Brussels, at the UN and beyond. We rely on your generous support to push forward the following campaigns.

£50K could help us:

  • Advocate for BNO Hong Kongers to have Home Fee status at UK universities by engaging with the Department of Education, parliamentarians, journalists and the Hong Kong diaspora.

  • Advocate for the release of Hong Kongers’ MPF savings, including securing a hearing on the issue in the UK Parliament.

£80K could help us:

  • Advocate for the expansion of the BNO visa scheme for eligible Hong Kongers who were born before the 1997 handover.

  • Advocate for an increase in admission targets for Canada’s Hong Kong Pathway.

£100K could help us:

  • Provide internship opportunities in the British and Canadian Parliaments for young Hong Kongers.

  • Expand our advocacy work in the US, including engaging with the next administration and Congress to ensure that Hong Kongers’ voices are heard and considered in new US-Hong Kong and US-China policy.

  • Advocate for human rights in Hong Kong at the United Nations.

  • Continue to push for the release of all political prisoners in Hong Kong.

 

香港監察年度眾籌2024

今年，香港監察期望籌集£100K，用以發展2025年的全球工作。一如以往，你的支持不可或缺 。有賴像你這樣的支持者慷慨解囊，我們在2024年得以取得下列政策改變及突破：

  • 經過我們的倡議，我們成功爭取到加拿大政府為救生艇計劃「Hong Kong Pathway」申請人推出過渡開放式工作簽證（bridging open work permit）。我們將緊急永久居留申請個案呈上加拿大移民部，要求特快處理，部分個案其後獲批核。

  • 兩位加拿大香港監察「青年倡議計劃」學員完成在國會的實習後，獲得加拿大國會的永久職位。

  • 我們爭取到在加拿大國會就香港人被扣押強積金（MPF）退休儲蓄事宜舉行聽證會，香港監察以及MPF受託人宏利和永明金融的高層同在會上作證。一名持有加拿大永居權的港人在聽證會後成功從宏利提取MPF儲蓄。

  • 因應香港監察就西方退休基金與中國侵犯人權行為之間的關係發表報告，多間加拿大大型退休基金公司撤出、暫停或減少對華投資。

  • 香港監察在加拿大眾議院和參議院聽證會上作證，表明支持《C-70法案》，法案現已通過成為法律，務求打擊加拿大境內的外國干預。


我們今年的倡議工作包括：

  • 英國方面，香港監察團隊正積極與新任國會議員接觸，確保在政府更替後，香港依然是國會和政府的優先處理事項。

  • 美國方面，我們以原創研究向立法議員講解《國家安全法》、23條立法、香港經濟貿易辦事處的特權等議題，並推動制裁香港政府官員和釋放香港政治犯。

  • 歐盟方面，我們與歐洲議會密切合作，促使通過緊急決議，譴責香港當局通過23條立法，並呼籲釋放香港所有政治犯。

  • 經過香港監察多次與聯合國成員國會面，作簡報倡議，18個成員國在對中國的普遍定期審議上就香港侵犯人權問題提出建議。


未來一年，香港監察會繼續在英國、加拿大、美國、歐盟、聯合國及其他地方為香港和香港人發聲 。我們需要你的慷慨支持來推進下列倡議。

£50K能夠幫助我們：

  • 與英國教育部、國會議員、記者和離散港人接觸，為BNO港人倡議享有英國大學本地生學費資格。

  • 倡議釋放港人MPF儲蓄，包括爭取在英國國會舉行MPF聽證會。

£80K能夠幫助我們：

  • 為1997年主權移交前出生的合資格港人倡議擴大BNO簽證計劃。

  • 倡議增加加拿大救生艇計劃「Hong Kong Pathway」的移民目標配額。

£100K能夠幫助我們：

  • 為年輕港人提供在英國或加拿大國會實習的機會。

  • 拓展在美國的倡議工作，包括與下屆政府和國會接觸，確保港人聲音獲聽見並納入新訂美港及美中政策。

  • 在聯合國倡議香港人權。

  • 繼續推動釋放香港所有政治犯。

NewsFrances Bell