Speeches and Transcripts

3 October 2016 (Monday) 7:00 pm

Grand Hall, 3/F, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre

Esteemed Mr. Tung Chee-hwa, Vice Chairman of CPPCC, Mr. CY Leung, Chief Executive of HKSAR, and Mr. Zhang Xiaoming, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, distinguished guests and members of the media, ladies and gentlemen, good evening!

First of all, I want to sincerely thank all of you for joining us this evening for the inaugural Presentation Ceremony of the LUI Che Woo Prize – Prize for World Civilisation. I would like to extend my special thanks to Mr. Tung Chee-hwa, Vice Chairman of CPPCC and Mr. CY Leung, Chief Executive of HKSAR, Mr. Zhang Xiaoming, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR; as well as our overseas guests for taking the time to be here tonight.

We are also honoured to welcome all three laureates and their representatives of the LUI Che Woo Prize here with us this evening to receive their respective Prizes and our congratulations for their contribution to society. Please join me in a round of applause as we welcome them.

Technology today is very advanced, but we should not lose sight of our pursuit of harmony and benevolence in the world. Recalling the past eighty years of my life, I have lived through a time that has seen the biggest and fastest changes in the history of mankind. Today, our world has made immense technological advances and witnessed boundless innovation, bringing about important improvement in our daily lives, and solving numerous challenges around the world. Unfortunately, material wealth has not brought us true happiness, satisfaction or long-lasting world peace. Instead, global conflict and wars ensue and disputes continue. Meanwhile, technological developments have contributed to severe environmental damage. Within a matter of decades, mankind has consumed natural resources that were left untouched for thousands of years, and the earth is giving us a warning. At the same time, our world continues to be challenged by poverty, famine and disease.

I believe that harmony is of prime importance, and represents the best way to reduce the incidence of world conflicts. Harmony, be it interpersonal, societal or environmental, is an important element in the sustainable development of the world. I would like to make use of this opportunity to express my gratitude to my parents who named me “Che Woo”. My name, which directly translates as “will” and “harmony”, is a constant reminder of the importance of perseverance and mindfulness, and has helped me maintain a certain serenity while overcoming different challenges and adversity throughout my life. I sincerely hope to see more people adopt these values in life, so that they can remain positive in the face of hardship, learn to be grateful, and achieve true happiness in life.

The establishment of this Prize aims to promote world civilisation and to encourage people to build a better world. The LUI Che Woo Prize is an international cross-sector award, with the mission of sowing the seed of benevolence, by honouring and recognising individuals and organisations who have selflessly contributed to the promotion of world civilisation. Its goal is to break barriers between borders, race and religions, and explore together models of sustainable development and moral civilisation, promote values of harmony and cohesion, and foster the adoption of a positive attitude and energy. It is my great hope that the LUI Che Woo Prize can promote world peace, so that people may become more respectful, helpful and forgiving of each other and that they may cherish our valuable natural resources.

The Prize Presentation Ceremony is a significant milestone for the LUI Che Woo Prize – Prize for World Civilisation. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my family for their support and love, especially to my wife who has been by my side for over sixty years. I would also like to thank every member of the Board of Governors for their selfless contribution to the Prize and for making it a reality. Tonight is also an opportunity for me to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the people who have supported the LUI Che Woo Prize over the past year, not least the nominators dispersed around the world. These individuals not only recognise the vision of the Prize, but have also supported us with concrete actions by nominating individuals and organisations of the highest calibre. And of course I must sincerely thank every member of the Prize Council, Prize Recommendation Committee and the three Selection Panels. Only with their great support in our rigorous selection process were we able to choose the first-ever recipients of the LUI Che Woo Prize.

The inaugural laureates of the Prize, including individuals and organisations, come from different backgrounds and fields, reflecting the international, diversified and extensive scope of the LUI Che Woo Prize.

Now, please allow me to introduce the well-deserving three laureates.

The Laureate for the Sustainability Prize is Professor Yuan Longping. Professor Yuan is recognised for his significant scientific achievement in developing high-yielding hybrid rice, and bringing sustainable and stable food supply to areas that have long suffered from famine risks, including China. I sincerely thank Professor Yuan for his contributions in helping to secure the stability of food supply in the world.

The Laureate of the Welfare Betterment Prize is Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). MSF made indispensable contributions to the treatment and control of the cholera outbreak in Haiti in 2010 and the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014. With boundless energy, MSF continues to provide medical and humanitarian support to areas of disaster, epidemics and armed conflict. I sincerely thank MSF for its outstanding work in bringing about a significant betterment of human welfare.

The Laureate of the Positive Energy Prize is President James Earl “Jimmy” Carter, Jr. He and The Carter Center, which he established in 1982, have contributed significantly to the promotion of positive life attitude and enhancement of positive energy in the world. By bringing peace, prosperity, good health and hope to millions, and by fighting for human rights and a just society, Mr. Carter has inspired, energised, given hope and imparted positive energy to people around the world. I sincerely thank Mr. Carter for his contributions to the world.

I hope that future recipients of the LUI Che Woo Prize will reflect an equally diverse array of fields, acting as outstanding role models of mankind who can inspire and encourage the world through their respective contributions and achievements. We have already invited over 1,000 nominators globally for the 2017 LUI Che Woo Prize. I would like to take this opportunity to invite each nominator to actively nominate potential laureates, so as to spread a more positive message to the world by honouring individuals or organisations who have made significant contributions to world civilisation.

Once again, congratulations to the three inaugural laureates of the LUI Che Woo Prize. I am very grateful for their outstanding contribution in fostering world civilisation. They are truly role models and we wish them every success in their continued endeavours to create a better future for us all.

As the saying goes: Rome was not built in a day. The same can be said for a benevolent world. I hope that you will all continue to support the LUI Che Woo Prize and let this seed of love and kindness grow prosperously in order to add more colour to our world.

Thank you very much!