The School of Law of City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has launched the Global Legal Education and Awareness Programme (G-LEAP). Under the programme, the Faculty of Law of Monash University, Australia, became the first university to sign a collaborative agreement with the School on 15 October.

G-LEAP is designed to promote excellence in legal education, with a view to providing opportunities for CityU law students to gain a global perspective on the study of law that will benefit them in their professional careers. Law school students will be able to spend a month studying at the Faculty of Law of Monash University. Students participating in the programme will be eligible for a credit transfer to an equivalent course being taught at the CityU School of Law. G-LEAP will commence in June 2008 and is expected to involve 50 CityU students every year. The School is seeking more opportunities to collaborate with overseas universities to promote this programme.

Speaking at the inauguration and signing ceremony, Professor Richard Ho Yan-ki, Acting President of CityU, said students need to embrace the challenges of a more interconnected world. "Globalisation has profound implications for the future of higher education worldwide. The institutions ought to constantly reinvent themselves and face these challenges through exchange and collaboration programmes," Professor Ho said.

The Honourable Mr Andrew Liao Cheung-sing, member of the Executive Council of the HKSAR Government, and one of the officiating guests, said the programme helped to promote the global perspective on legal education. "CityU is dedicated to providing students with high quality legal education in order to better serve the community and the region and to expose students to global issues. Through this programme, students may acquire more knowledge, understanding and skills relating to substantive legal issues," Mr Liao said.

Professor Arie Freiberg, Dean of the Faculty of Law of Monash University, Australia, and Professor (Chair) Wang Guiguo, Dean of CityU's School of Law, signed the agreement, representing another important step in strengthening ties between the two universities.

"Monash University welcomes the opportunity to increase staff and student interaction with CityU, providing both our law schools with a deeper understanding of the legal and social cultures of two different societies," Professor Arie Freiberg said.

Professor Wang said the agreement is a milestone for the School in providing this kind of learning experience. "The agreement with the Faculty of Law of Monash University is the first initiative under G-LEAP that has underscored the importance of internationalisation in legal education," he added.

Other guests of honour participating in the ceremony included Dr Vesselin Popovski, Director of Studies on International Order and Justice, Peace and Governance Programme, United Nations University, Japan, and Dr Sukehiro Hasegawa, Former Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Timor-Leste.