Latest news with #ChildFriendlyCitiesInitiative
Daily Express
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Express
Towards child-friendly city spaces
Published on: Friday, May 09, 2025 Published on: Fri, May 09, 2025 By: Diana Liu Text Size: From left to right, Lifred, Sabin, Abidin, Robert and Juanita during the MoU signing ceremony at SICC. Kota Kinabalu: The City Hall (DBKK) aims to create safer streets, green public spaces and transport systems that accommodate the needs of children, all the while including these youngsters in the decision-making processes. To this end, the agency is collaborating with United Nations Children's Funds (UNICEF) to try and make this a reality. Mayor Datuk Seri Sabin Samitah said that with Unicef's technical expertise, they would begin conducting a comprehensive child rights situation analysis. 'This will form the basis for developing a Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) Action Plan that is inclusive, data-driven, and contextually relevant to the children of Kota Kinabalu. 'We will also formulate a monitoring and evaluation framework that captures progress not only through statistics but also through lived experiences and community feedback, particularly from children themselves. 'The CFCI in Kota Kinabalu will be built on inclusive and participatory platforms, enabling children and young people to voice their ideas, share their challenges, and shape solutions,' he said. He said this in his speech during the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the implementation of the CFCI between DBKK and Unicef at Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) on Tuesday. Also present were the Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister who is also in charge of DBKK, Datuk Abidin Madingkir, DBKK Director-General Lifred Wong, UNICEF Representative to Malaysia and Special Representative to Brunei Darussalam Robert Gass, UNICEF Malaysia Social Policy Chief Dr. Juanita Vasquez Escallon and others. Robert said the CFCI is built upon three fundamental pillars that guide their actions, first, raising awareness of child rights, second, ensuring meaningful child participation, and third, creating safe and inclusive environments for all children. 'Raising awareness of child rights is key to building safe, supportive communities where every child can thrive. Children must know their rights to speak up for themselves and others. But they cannot do it alone, adults must also ensure these rights are reflected in our policies, projects, and everyday decisions. 'A child-friendly city puts meaningful child participation at its core. Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) affirms that children deserve a say in decisions that affect their lives and Child Councils are one way to make this happen. In Petaling Jaya, consultations with the Child Council have led to real changes, like toy libraries, a child-friendly bus stop, a child-friendly kopitiam, and even mapping roads that would enable them to walk safely to school,' he said. Other than that, Robert said, Sabah's diversity of cultures, voices, and experiences can be a powerful force for innovation, and they look forward to seeing the creativity and insight that children in Kota Kinabalu will offer as they help develop their city. According to Robert, creating child-friendly cities requires strong partnerships between public authorities, the private sector, and communities. 'For example, developers can collaborate on co-designing inclusive parks, and street vendors can contribute by promoting healthy habits near schools. 'Furthermore, integrating a child-centric lens into city planning, such as prioritising children's safety and building climate-resilient infrastructure, is crucial for developing a truly liveable city for all,' he said. Meanwhile, Abidin said, children in remote areas, indigenous communities, and lower-income households often experience multiple forms of deprivation. 'This initiative gives us an avenue to address those disparities through a child-sensitive lens — one that listens to their voices, respects their rights, and adapts policies to their needs. 'The development of the Child Rights Situation Analysis, the integration of child-sensitive frameworks into local governance, and the formation of strong mechanisms for monitoring and accountability – all these must be rigorously pursued and supported,' he said. For the record, Sabah now joins a growing movement of Malaysian cities taking child rights seriously. In 2023, Petaling Jaya became the first city in Malaysia and Southeast Asia to receive official CFCI recognition. Since then, Sarawak has onboarded seven councils as part of the state-wide cohort and Penang Island has recently come on board as well. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Metro Atlanta city named 3rd ever UNICEF Child Friendly City in US
UNICEF USA, the American chapter of the United Nation's Children's Fund, announced Thursday that a city in metro Atlanta was the third overall Child Friendly City in the U.S. The City of Decatur was named the third Child Friendly City in the United States by UNICEF, joining Houston, Texas and Minneapolis, Minn. The organization said that brought Decatur into a group of just 3,500 municipalities on the planet to hold the designation. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] 'The commitment, energy and effort displayed by young residents of Decatur on our Teen Leadership Team and Decatur Youth Council is an inspiration to all of us and a reminder that every voice is important when it comes to the work of city government,' Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett said about the new designation. 'My hope is that we as city leaders will continue to listen to youth voices and that those who serve as Decatur Youth representatives will inspire others to participate.' TRENDING STORIES: Supporters of fired Cobb County basketball coaches pack school board meeting Which restaurant chains are seeing the biggest price increases? Coca-Cola says tariffs could hit bottom line if canning, bottling costs rise According to UNICEF, the Child Friendly Cities Initiative incorporates a framework of safety, health, inclusivity and child-responsiveness when applying its designation to its members. The City of Decatur is now among the few thousand to receive such titling since 1996, when the initiative started. 'We are thrilled to have Decatur join our growing cohort of UNICEF Child Friendly Cities in the United States and recognize the City's commitment to building a safer and more accessible community for children,' UNICEF USA President & CEO Michael J. Nyenhuis said. 'UNICEF USA is proud to celebrate the dedication of the Decatur community to support youth involvement and include them in city decision making and initiatives that will have a lasting impact for generations to come.' To earn the designation, UNICEF said Decatur had to meet five priorities, including improving public spaces access for all, increasing trust with members of law enforcement, making the city cleaner, making Decatur more inclusive for all children and young people and becoming more sustainable, while improving access to mental health resources for children and teenagers. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
