In Hong Kong 1.35 million people as of 2016, that is 1 in 5 residents, live in poverty. More than ever, we recognise that the business sector has a critical role to play in the fight for poverty alleviation.
While businesses might recognise a moral incentive to join the action of poverty alleviation, there is a strong business case as to why corporations must take an active role. Poverty hits the financial bottom line and helping to reduce it can create opportunities to do better business. Businesses that create decent jobs and access to markets or goods and services that benefit low-income groups help to build healthier, wealthier, and more highly skilled communities. Those communities will, in turn, provide the customers, suppliers, and employees that companies need for sustainable growth.
By focusing our efforts on educating companies on the role they play in alleviating poverty, providing them with tools and solutions to develop strategic programmes focused on poverty alleviation for their organisations and developing skills-based volunteering programmes which companies can participate in collectively to impact change on this issue, we are working hand-in-hand with the business sector to move beyond discussion and take concrete action on poverty alleviation in Hong Kong.