#HK Submission: Hong Kong as the GBA Hub for International Organisations

APAC Focus made a formal submission to the HKSAR Government as part of the public consultation on Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan.

We respectfully propose that the plan include a clear and actionable strategy to position Hong Kong as a premier Greater Bay Area hub for international organisations and multilateral institutions. This would give practical effect to the consultation’s objective of deepening international exchanges and cooperation, expanding global partnership networks, and strengthening Hong Kong’s role as an international connectivity hub and high-level platform for opening up.

Hong Kong is well placed to undertake this role under “one country, two systems”. Its common-law system, international professional services, arbitration and mediation capacity, connectivity with the Mainland and wider world, and established international institutional presence offer a distinctive foundation on which to build. The recent establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation headquarters in Hong Kong also demonstrates the city’s potential to host institutions of international significance.

We recommend that the five-year plan could consider the following actionable items:

1. Establish attracting and supporting international organisations as a dedicated policy objective;

2. Define priority sectors, including sustainable development, public health, humanitarian technology, climate adaptation, aviation, maritime affairs, digital governance and dispute resolution;

3. Develop a coordinated legal, administrative and financial framework for hosting international organisations;

4. Consider a dedicated institutional mechanism or commissioner to coordinate attraction, facilitation and aftercare;

5. Set aspirational, non-binding indicators for international organisation offices, headquarters or regional functions, related local employment, and major international conferences; and

6. Examine strategic locations, including Airport Island and Lantau, as potential clusters for institutional, conference and professional-service functions.

We hope these materials can contribute to the formulation of a forward-looking plan that strengthens Hong Kong’s international role, contributes to national development, and builds a more substantive platform for global cooperation.