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2026
Secretary for Justice Paul Lam and International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) Secretary-General Prof Ignacio Tirado today signed a memorandum to establish the UNIDROIT Liaison Office for the Asia-Pacific Region in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. The agreement, signed during a virtual ceremony, marks the first time in UNIDROIT’s 100-year history that the organisation has established a regional presence outside its headquarters in Rome. Mr Lam noted that Hong Kong’s robust common law system and world-class legal infrastructure make the city an ideal location for UNIDROIT’s first regional presence. He added that signing the memorandum is a key step in establishing the liaison office, with preparatory work now proceeding at full speed. The liaison office is expected to open in November, and the Department of Justice will co-organise the Asia-Pacific International Private Law Summit and the Centenary Regional Event with UNIDROIT during Hong Kong Legal Week 2026. Mr Lam said these events will further strengthen the collaborative relationship between the department and the international organisation.
The Department of Justice today held the Rule of Law Education (ROLE) Ambassador award ceremony and sharing session under the ROLE Stars Train-the-Leaders (TTL) Programme, conferring the title of ROLE Ambassador to 40 trainees. Delivering his opening remarks, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said that today marked an important milestone of the TTL Programme, as the 40 ambassadors are the first batch of trainees who completed all the training courses under the TTL Programme since it was launched in November 2023. Mr Lam emphasised that the key to maintaining Hong Kong’s sound rule of law environment is to cultivate public understanding of the principles of the rule of law and to enhance the public’s basic understanding of the city’s common law system. He encouraged the ambassadors to become dedicated advocates for promoting the rule of law in Hong Kong by passing on the knowledge and experience they gained from the TTL Programme in ways that are appropriate to their respective capacities and positions. At the event, four trainees shared their thoughts and experience of becoming ROLE Ambassadors. They said the courses had deepened their knowledge of the rule of law and boosted their confidence in disseminating such messages. They added that they had concrete plans to promote correct information about the rule of law and cultivate the spirit of respecting the rule of law in schools and the community. Mr Lam, Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan, Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung, Chairperson of SideBySide Executive Committee Poon Siu-tung and Under Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs Clarence Leung presented the certificates and badges of ROLE Ambassadors to commend the trainees’ completion of all the courses under the TTL Programme and their efforts in promoting the rule of law in the community. The qualification of ROLE Ambassador is valid for two years, which aims to encourage ambassadors to continue to participate in the Department of Justice’s rule of law education activities and to actively organise rule of law promotion activities during the period in order to obtain a renewal. As at end-2025, a total of about 380 trainees participated in the TTL Programme, among which 40 have been qualified as the first batch of ROLE Ambassadors under the TTL Programme.