The fifth Hong Kong International Philanthropy Forum opened at the West Kowloon Cultural District on September 7, with Chief Secretary Eric Chan saying the government was committed to developing Hong Kong into a global philanthropy hub. The two-day event is being held as the city seeks to strengthen its role in philanthropy and related sectors.
Organised by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and co-organised by the Institute of Philanthropy, the forum is themed “Leaping for Impact”. Reports said it had drawn about 2,000 participants from philanthropy, sports, business, government, academia and other sectors. Chan, Jockey Club chairman Lau Cheuk-yu and Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges were identified in reports as attending or presiding over the opening ceremony.
In his opening speech, Chan described Hong Kong’s tax system as simple, transparent and internationally recognised. RTHK reported that he said the city had recognised more than 400 new charitable organisations in the previous year and had more than 11,000 tax-exempt charities. i-CABLE, however, reported his figure as more than 10,000.
Chan also said Hong Kong was home to more than 3,300 single-family offices, a 25 per cent increase over the previous two years. He said assets under management had reached US$5.4 trillion in the previous year, with more than half coming from overseas investors.
The reports cited different donation figures and contexts. RTHK said Chan reported more than US$1.5 billion in approved donations in the 2024/25 assessment year. i-CABLE reported that the Jockey Club’s first charitable trust fund impact report recorded US$1.1 billion in approved donations during the previous year for 191 charitable and community projects. The reports do not establish whether the two figures cover the same category of donations.
Lau said the forum had become an international platform for philanthropic thinking and cross-sector collaboration. He called for cooperation across sectors to support sustainable development, and said philanthropy was playing an increasingly important role alongside governments, businesses and other social sectors in addressing complex global challenges.
The programme focuses on changes, challenges and opportunities in philanthropy, with discussions drawing on Olympic and Paralympic values including excellence, friendship, respect, courage and determination. Reports described the event as marking its 10th anniversary, although they did not specify what the anniversary referred to.