The Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education was set up to advise on civic education and implement activities, in conjunction with the Government and concerned parties, to promote civic education outside schools. In 2005, the committee focused its efforts on good citizenship, civic responsibilities, building a caring and harmonious society, family cohesiveness, respect for human rights and the rule of law, and enhancing a sense of national identity and understanding of the Basic Law.

The committee launched a website to promote various civic education themes. Other promotional activities included telephone hotline stories, television announcements in the public interest (TV APIs), a stamp design competition, the production of teaching materials based on an interactive drama on the Basic Law and updating the pictorial booklet on the Basic Law. The committee also produced a series of civic education reference materials, including a family magazine, a youth magazine and a calendar for 2006 on the theme 'Harmony and Integration'.

The committee organised a Seminar on Corporate Citizenship and re-convened the Working Group on Human Rights Education. It also set up the Working Group on National Education comprising members from the committee and the Commission on Youth. The primary objective of the group is to formulate strategies and measures to promote national education outside schools. During the year, the group produced the second series of TV API portraying 'Faces of China' which used the national anthem as the theme music, organised the first-ever International Symposium on National Education in Hong Kong and updated the leaflet on 'National Flag, National Emblem and National Anthem'. In addition, the committee announced the results of a survey conducted in 2004 on the sense of national identity and national pride in Hong Kong. Following the biennial survey of 2002, this survey also assessed the community's sense of belonging to and confidence in Hong Kong, civil behaviour and values system, and civic engagement and participation.

The committee organised the territory-wide Basic Law Speech Contest for youths, in conjunction with the Alliance of Hong Kong Youth Groups, Constitutional Affairs Bureau, Department of Justice and EMB. The promotional slogan was 'Learn the Basic Law, Know your Rights and Duties'. As a complementary measure, a series of roving exhibitions and workshops were organised in the territory.

It also continued to run the Community Participation Scheme to encourage community organisations to organise civic education activities at the district level. To enhance the impact of the scheme, it has designated a topical theme for the scheme each year since 2004. The topical theme for 2005 was 'Social Harmony'.