Gwangju City Joins World Health Organization's 'Age-friendly City' Program

3-Year Implementation of the Vision for ‘Happy Gwangju, a 100-Year City Without Retirement Worries’

Gwangju City Hall

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 11th that it received notification on the 9th of its approval to join the "World Health Organization (WHO) Age-friendly Cities International Network."

The WHO Age-friendly Cities International Network is a project promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) to effectively respond to the global trends of aging and urbanization. It aims to create "cities where aging is not inconvenient and where people of all ages can participate actively and healthily in society." Over 1,000 cities from 41 countries worldwide are members.

To receive age-friendly city certification, cities must meet international standards set by WHO in various areas including external environment, transportation, housing, social participation, respect and inclusion, employment, communication, community support, and health services.

After certification, member cities can share information, knowledge, and experiences on age-friendly policies through exchanges and cooperation, thereby re-recognizing the value of age-friendly cities and contributing to enhancing the city’s image.

To join the Age-friendly Cities International Network, Gwangju City has faithfully carried out preparatory procedures such as enacting the "Ordinance on the Creation of Age-friendly Cities" last year, conducting age-friendliness surveys, holding expert advisory meetings, collaborating with related organizations, organizing and operating the Age-friendly City Creation Committee, and establishing a three-year basic plan.

For the next three years, Gwangju plans to actively implement 50 detailed tasks across five areas?▲jobs ▲social participation and culture ▲care and human rights ▲health and medical care ▲living environment?under the vision of "Happy Gwangju, a 100-year city without worries about old age." The city will also establish a system to monitor the progress of each task and incorporate evaluations and opinions from seniors and citizens into policies, preparing the foundation for re-certification after three years.

Lee Pyeong-hyung, Director of the Welfare and Health Bureau, said, "Joining the WHO Age-friendly Cities Network confirms our city’s commitment to creating an age-friendly city," adding, "We will do our best to transform into Happy Gwangju, a 100-year city without worries about old age, and to make it a lively and livable city for seniors."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.