Siheung City Officially Begins Efforts Toward 2nd International Safe City Certification

On April 13, Siheung City in Gyeonggi Province held a kick-off briefing at the Disaster and Safety Situation Room for the “Research Service for Supporting the 2nd Certification Audit of International Safe City and Establishing a Sustainable Development Plan,” officially beginning preparations for recertification.

View of Siheung City Hall. Provided by Siheung City

원본보기 아이콘

An International Safe City is an international certification granted to cities that have the infrastructure and capacity to promote safety, based on the 1989 Stockholm Declaration in Sweden, which states that “everyone has an equal right to a healthy and safe life.” Cities must undergo a rigorous assessment and be recertified every five years.

Siheung City was certified as the world’s 433rd and Korea’s 26th International Safe City by the International Safe Community Certifying Centre (ISCCC) in 2022, and is now preparing to apply for and undergo the assessment for its second certification in 2027.

This research service is being conducted in cooperation with the Community Health and Safety Research Institute of Hyupsung University (International Safe Community Korean Support Center), aiming to secure the 2nd certification and establish a sustainable development roadmap for the 3rd phase.

The briefing was attended by representatives from departments in charge of key projects and related institutions. Professor Park Namsu of Hyupsung University presented the direction and main tasks of the research service, and strategies and actionable plans for achieving the 2nd certification were discussed.

Main tasks include: ▲ Strengthening local safety governance by operating working-level councils for each subcommittee ▲ Providing administrative support for the 2nd certification audit ▲ Establishing a sustainable development plan for the 3rd phase that incorporates feedback from the certification assessment.

The city plans to further strengthen the implementation system for certification standards by focusing on the working-level councils and to accelerate efforts to obtain the 2nd certification by expanding cooperation among relevant organizations.

Park Seungsam, acting mayor of Siheung City, stated, “What matters more than the certification itself is the change in safety that citizens actually feel,” adding, “With this recertification, we will reinforce our administrative direction to be even more field-oriented so that safety can naturally permeate citizens’ daily lives.”

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.