Namyangju City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Joo Gwang-deok) announced on the 20th that it took the first step toward becoming a child-friendly city by holding the ‘Child-Friendly City Creation Proclamation Ceremony’ at the Gyeonggi Viewer Media Center on the 19th.
Joo Gwang-deok, Mayor of Namyangju City (right), held the 'Child-Friendly City Creation Proclamation Ceremony' at the Gyeonggi Viewer Media Center on the 19th. Provided by Namyangju City
The proclamation ceremony was attended by Namyangju Mayor Joo Gwang-deok, Lee Jeong-ae, Vice Chairman of the Namyangju City Council, city council members, the 1st Child Participation Committee members, and citizens, who shared Namyangju City’s vision for a child-friendly city to realize children’s rights and create a healthy and happy urban environment.
The event began with a congratulatory performance by the local children’s center choir (Maeum Sori), followed by reports on the progress of the child-friendly city initiative, presentations on child policies, and the appointment ceremony of the Child Participation Committee.
Building on this proclamation ceremony, the city plans to systematically pursue evaluation goals in various areas for UNICEF Child-Friendly City certification starting in 2025, including △standard surveys and strategy establishment for child-friendly cities △formation and operation of child rights ombudsman, policy coordination bodies, and public-private cooperation organizations △activation of child participation bodies and expansion of child rights education △creation of child-friendly spaces, aiming to achieve these within the year.
Additionally, the city plans to collaborate with UNICEF and the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) to create a child-rearing hub space utilizing local convenience facilities within integrated public rental housing in the 3rd New Town Wangsuk District.
To this end, the city fully revised the “Namyangju City Child-Friendly City Creation Ordinance” in September last year to establish a child-friendly legal system and organizing committee, analyzed the child-friendly budget in March this year to prepare basic data, and signed a business agreement with the UNICEF Korea Committee in July to lay the foundation for Child-Friendly City certification.
Mayor Joo Gwang-deok said, “Seeing the children participating in today’s proclamation ceremony, the future of Namyangju City looks bright, and we can expect super growth for Namyangju,” adding, “Let us incorporate the spirit of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the values and spirit of Dasan Jeong Yak-yong, a great asset of Namyangju and a globally recognized figure, into city administration to create a child-friendly Namyangju where our children can live well beyond imagination.”
Meanwhile, through the standard survey and strategy establishment project for child-friendly cities scheduled for January 2025, the city plans to concretize measures to improve children’s quality of life and happiness index, including △creating a safe urban environment △providing education and care without discrimination △creating various child-friendly spaces △expanding opportunities for child participation.
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