Mayor Choi Hyeon-deok vows to transform city into safe spaces where children can play freely
Namyangju held a plaque unveiling ceremony Thursday at the entrance of City Hall's first floor to mark its first UNICEF Child-Friendly City certification.
The event was organized to share the significance of the certification with residents and to signal the city's commitment to building an environment where children's rights are realized in everyday life.
About 40 people attended, including Mayor Choi Hyeon-deok, city lawmakers, members of the Child-Friendly City Promotion Committee and the Children's Participation Committee, and local residents.
The ceremony opened with a progress report on the certification process, followed by a commemorative address, the plaque unveiling and a group photo. Members of the Children's Participation Committee took part directly in the unveiling, reinforcing the event's emphasis on children's participation and respect for their rights.
The city has worked toward child-friendly city status by establishing relevant ordinances and a dedicated administrative framework. It has also expanded children's rights education and feedback channels, while continuing to pursue policies in safety, play, culture and welfare.
The city plans to use the certification as a new starting point, systematically advancing child-friendly policies through the certification period ending in 2030. The goal is to create an environment where all children can grow up safely and healthily and take an active role in policy decisions.
The city also plans to strengthen performance management and policy monitoring for the realization of children's four fundamental rights, and to pursue certification renewal and higher-tier certification in the future.
"When I served as deputy mayor in 2017, I helped enact the child-friendly city ordinance, so it is deeply meaningful to see the certification come to fruition nine years later," Mayor Choi said. "We will use this certification as a new starting point to transform pedestrian environments, transportation facilities, play spaces and other areas throughout the city into places where children can run and play safely."
He added that the city would "create visible changes so that residents can feel firsthand that children's voices are translating into real policy and urban transformation."
pjh@heraldcorp.com
