On March 22, Gangdong-gu attained UNICEF accreditation as the 7th Child Friendly-City in the country.

UNICEF defines Child-Friendly Cities (CFC) as a community that guarantees the rights of every child and youth and has a system where their opinions are reflected in compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1989.

The Child-Friendly City initiative was launched at the UN General Assembly in 1996. CFC has been implemented in several EU member states such as Italy, France, and Spain and has been extended worldwide. Gangdong-gu became the 7th city in Korea.

Joining the Association for the Promotion of Child-Friendly Cities in September 2015, the district office has implemented a variety of projects to build a child-friendly city. The ‘Children’s Policy Team’ was established in May 2016 by the office to enforce children’s policies with consistency and consolidation in line with the pursuit.

Moreover, the Child-Friendly City Committee was formed, four ordinances including the Ordinance on Establishment of Child-Friendly Cities in Gangdong-gu were enacted, and surveys on children’s living conditions and evaluations of children’s policies and their effects on children were conducted to establish institutional foundations to be a Child-Friendly City.

In particular, the ‘Children’s Policy-monitoring Team’ and ‘Youth Assembly’ elected by teenagers attracted much attention as a groundbreaking attempt to promote the participation of children and teens in the administration of the city. It was a way of seeking to enhance the children’s right of participation which is most underdeveloped amongst the children’s four rights to life, protection, development, and participation.

To implement the evaluation of children’s policies and their effects on children, a preliminary evaluation should be performed this year before the enactment or revision of ordinances, establishment of policies, and commencement of projects targeting children and their families. As such, an independent human rights body for children will be established in order to improve and protect children’s rights by allowing children to monitor cases of violations of children’s rights by themselves and request for remedy against infringement of their rights.

Furthermore, the ‘Child’s Governing Center’ and ‘Headquarters for Child and Youth’s Future‘ will be organized to promote the activities of children and youth, reinforce child-friendly public facilities, and advocate the children’s right of participation.

An official of the Gangdong-gu said, “Children’s happiness brings happiness to the city.” He added, “In return for the attainment of UNICEF accreditation, our city will make every effort to build a Child-Friendly City where all children and residents feel happiness.”

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