Gwangju Seo-gu Introduces Child-Friendly Projects to UNICEF European Member Countries

On the 12th, Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City announced that its exemplary case of the 'ESG-based Child-Friendly Project,' the first of its kind in Korea, was introduced to UNICEF European member countries.

Kim Ikang, Mayor of Seo-gu, is currently visiting Switzerland from the 11th to the 15th as the Vice President of the Local Government Council for UNICEF Child-Friendly Cities, and on the first day of the schedule, the 11th, he visited the UNICEF Switzerland & Liechtenstein Committee to present Seo-gu’s policies.

This event was jointly hosted by the UNICEF Korea-Switzerland Committee, where Mayor Kim introduced the ESG-based child-friendly project under the theme "Children's Right to Happiness and Respect."

In particular, Mayor Kim conducted both the policy presentation and the open discussion in English to facilitate smooth communication with UNICEF staff and multinational members.

Kim Ikang, Mayor of Seo-gu, and Bettina Junker, UNICEF Secretary General of Switzerland, met to share best practices in child-friendly projects.
[Photo by Seo-gu]

Seo-gu was first certified as a Child-Friendly City by the UNICEF Korea Committee in August 2017, received an advanced certification in June 2022, and from this year, it is the first local government in Korea to implement child-friendly projects reflecting ESG values.

Mayor Kim explained, “Among ESG factors, the E (Environment) related child-friendly projects emphasize awareness of climate crisis issues, carbon neutrality, and the necessity of resource circulation through programs such as the local children's forest program and mobile environmental schools.”

He continued by introducing S (Social) related projects, such as improving the living environments of children from low-income families, stating, “Children themselves design their dream rooms, which are then decorated with eco-friendly materials to support their bright and healthy growth.”

He also introduced the ‘Special Day, Special Challenge Project’ conducted via SNS to prevent child abuse, which involved participation from well-known public figures such as Major League Baseball player Choi Heeseop and archery gold medalist Ki Bo-bae.

Additionally, he mentioned the campaign to expand All Kids Zones for the protection of children's rights.

Regarding G (Governance), Mayor Kim introduced the play environment diagnosis project, where children conduct thorough inspections of local playgrounds and suggest improvements, and explained that children are included in the district administration participation group to develop tailored policies.

Mayor Kim expressed a strong commitment, stating, “To create a society where all children are happy and respected, I will work together with the global UNICEF family who love children beyond language and cultural differences,” which received enthusiastic responses from attendees.

Meanwhile, Mayor Kim is visiting Switzerland with about 20 officials from the UNICEF Korea Committee and the Local Government Council to benchmark best practices of child-friendly cities. Future plans include attending the Lucerne Children’s Council session, meetings with the Geneva City Council chairpersons, and visits to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) headquarters and the UNICEF Europe headquarters.

Reporter Shin Dongho, Honam Coverage Headquarters, Asia Economy baekok@asiae.co.kr

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