Gwanak-gu Certified as UNICEF Child-Friendly City

Achievements of the 7th Elected Term's District Administration Goal 'Together Welfare' and Various Efforts for Children... 16.5 Billion KRW Project Budget Invested in 2020 to Create 'A Happy and Respected Gwanak for Children'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Junhee) achieved the great feat of being certified as a ‘Child-Friendly City’ by the UNICEF Korea Committee on the 9th.

A Child-Friendly City refers to a community where all children under the age of 18 can live well by guaranteeing the four fundamental rights of children as stipulated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and faithfully implementing child-friendly policies.

The Child-Friendly City certification is awarded by the UNICEF Korea Committee, which objectively reviews local government policies based on 46 items under 10 principles such as child participation, child-friendly legal systems, and the establishment of child-dedicated organizations, and the qualification is maintained for four years.

The district set ‘Creating a Child-Friendly City’ as a pledge to realize the ‘Together Welfare’ goal of the 7th local government administration and has made various efforts to build a system where about 40,000 children in Gwanak-gu can live safely, without discrimination, and happily.

Starting with joining the Child-Friendly Local Government Council in October 2017, the district has worked to establish child-friendly systems and frameworks such as ▲creating dedicated organizations and enacting ordinances ▲conducting child surveys ▲analyzing child-friendly budgets ▲operating child rights monitoring groups ▲holding open forums ▲providing child rights education, all aimed at promoting children’s participation in local governance and raising awareness of child rights.

As a result, the district received high marks for carefully selecting and implementing strategic and promotional projects in various areas to realize child rights, and for its efforts to collect children’s opinions in diverse ways and reflect them in policies, achieving the great success of Child-Friendly City certification.

This year, the district plans to invest 16.5 billion KRW in project funds, an increase of about 2.8 billion KRW from last year, with the core vision of ‘Gwanak where children are happy and respected.’ It has selected 21 key tasks across six areas: ▲play and leisure ▲participation and civic awareness ▲safety and protection ▲health and social services ▲educational environment ▲living environment, and will promote a total of 55 projects.

In May, the district will also hold a certification ceremony for the Child-Friendly City with about 200 residents including child rights monitoring group members, the Child-Friendly City Promotion Committee, and child facility workers.

Mayor Park Junhee stated, “I believe that a city where children live happily and well will be a city where everyone can live well,” and added, “We will continue to implement various child-friendly policies to ensure that all children are safe and free from discrimination, befitting a Child-Friendly City.”

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