Hong Kong’s exceptionally low fertility rate presents a unique opportunity for the city to establish itself as a global leader in creating a child-friendly environment, according to Siddharth Chatterjee, former UN resident coordinator in China. Speaking in an interview, Chatterjee urged Hong Kong to leverage its technological strengths to develop a comprehensive blueprint aimed at earning recognition as a "Child Friendly City" under a United Nations initiative.
Hong Kong’s fertility rate stood at just 0.73 births per woman in 2025, ranking it second lowest among 236 jurisdictions worldwide, trailing only Macau. Despite government incentives intended to encourage family growth, the city recorded fewer than 30,000 births in a year for the first time, as reported in a recent population update. The city’s demographic trend aligns with challenges faced across many developing regions, where fertility rates are declining.
Chatterjee, who served as the UN resident coordinator in China from 2021 until March 2026, and now advises the Hong Kong Committee for Unicef, emphasized that this demographic shift should be viewed as an opportunity rather than a crisis. He argued that Hong Kong could serve as a model for other densely populated cities by demonstrating how to balance economic intensity with policies that support the well-being and rights of children.
The UNICEF Child Friendly Cities Initiative, launched in 1996, encourages municipalities to adopt policies consistent with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. While many mainland Chinese cities participate in the program, Hong Kong has yet to formally integrate the initiative into its governance framework. UNICEF has recommended that Hong Kong aim to become China’s first internationally recognized Child Friendly City by 2030. Suggestions include extending statutory maternity leave to at least 18 weeks and legislating workplace protections for breastfeeding mothers.
Chatterjee highlighted that Hong Kong shares regional pressures such as high living costs, intense academic competition, and ultra-low fertility with cities like Singapore, but noted that Singapore has implemented more comprehensive and consistent family-support policies. In contrast, he identified Hong Kong’s relative lag in embedding child rights into urban planning and social policies, the availability and accessibility of early childhood care, and the provision of mental health services for children and adolescents.
To address these gaps, Chatterjee proposed expanding subsidized childcare options and establishing a dedicated cross-departmental fund to support child and adolescent mental health initiatives. He expressed optimism that Hong Kong’s strengths in big data, technology, and innovation could enable the city to quickly advance and serve as a global exemplar.
Additionally, Chatterjee suggested that Hong Kong could position itself as an international education hub, providing an alternative to systems such as the United States’ Ivy League, based on the performance of its leading universities and current geopolitical shifts.
Reflecting on his extensive UN experience, including leadership roles in challenging environments such as Iraq and South Sudan, Chatterjee outlined a broader global context marked by interrelated crises in health, conflict, climate change, food security, and inequality. He called for stronger leadership within the UN to adapt to contemporary geopolitical realities.
Chatterjee also addressed criticism directed at China’s growing influence in the UN system, asserting that his experience showed Beijing’s support for multilateralism. He cited initiatives led by President Xi Jinping, including the Belt and Road Initiative, as examples of China’s engagement on the global stage. He stressed the importance of reforming the multilateral system to enhance its effectiveness in addressing global challenges.