Hong Kong's young people have expressed a strong willingness to report corruption, said ICAC Commissioner Dr Timothy Tong Hin-ming today (March 13).

Dr Tong said that about 83 per cent of the respondents aged 24 or below in a recent ICAC survey had expressed their willingness to report corruption, compared with 74 per cent of those in other age groups.

The survey also clearly indicated a very low tolerance among local youths towards corruption, he said.

Speaking after officiating at the Youth Summit of ICAC's "I" Generation Youth Integrity Programme, Dr Tong told the some 600 student delegates that integrity was taught to children and young people in practically every known society for very good reasons.

"With personal integrity comes the knowledge that you are upright and that gives you confidence. With it also comes the ability to plan positively for a better future.

"Personal integrity is also a stout defence against setbacks. It is the surest foundation for a fair and just society. A society that puts integrity first can truly claim to offer a level playing field for all comers," he said.

Dr Tong said that the Youth Integrity Programme remained a vital part of the ICAC's educational mission, bringing young people from very different backgrounds together to exchange ideas about ethics and understand what it meant to be good and just in this world.

Today's Youth Summit marked the finale of the six-month programme jointly organised by the ICAC, Commission on Youth, Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education, Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, Hong Kong Institute of Directors, Hong Kong United Youth Association and 11 tertiary institutions.

Over 2,000 students from tertiary institutions in Hong Kong, Macao, South Korea, Singapore and the Mainland, have participated in various activities of the programme which also included a three-day exchange session, a pop-concert, workshops and the "I" Project Competition.

The competition attracted entries from 237 teams comprising 930 students from 47 tertiary institutions from the above-mentioned regions submitting written reports and multi-media productions on integrity issues.

Also addressing the Summit was Secretary for Justice Mr Wong Yan-lung who stressed that integrity and fair play were essential in the business world if one appreciated a sustainable and healthy economy.

He noted that the Heritage Foundation ranked Hong Kong as the world's freest economy for the 16th consecutive year, acknowledging Hong Kong's virtues in maintaining a transparent legal system, keeping corruption in check and adopting a simple and open regulatory regime.

Mr Wong also told delegates that Hong Kong had been consistently rated by the Transparency International and the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy as one of the least corrupt places in the world.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong's judiciary was well trusted by the people and business activities thrived on that confidence, he noted.

"Integrity in the sense of an unremitting commitment to the law or principles or beliefs with no compromise on account of favour or fear, is the common foundation of the rule of law and judicial independence," Mr Wong added.

Programme Organising Committee Chairman Dr Moses Cheng, ICAC Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations Chairman Professor John Leong Chi-yan and student representatives also officiated at the launching and pledging ceremony of the Youth Summit.

The Summit also comprised a panel discussion hosted by Professor John Leong, Hong Kong Institute of Directors Chairman Dr Kelvin Wong and Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups President Mr Lester Garson Huang as well as an open forum for all participants to voice their views on integrity issues before Dr Moses Cheng gave the closing remarks.