KUCHING: A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) on the UNICEF’s Child-Friendly Cities Initiative has been officially signed.
The MOU marks the start of a journey for DBKU to be recognized as a CFCI city and be part of a local and global network of more than 3,000 cities around the world.
The initiative of CFCI, which began in 1996 by UNICEF is to recognise the commitments made by local authorities all around the world to uphold the principles outlined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
The convention is a promise made by world leaders including Malaysia that they will protect the rights of every child.
In line with the CRC, DBKU is committed to becoming an active stakeholder in ensuring children’s right to protection, health, and education.
The goal is for all children in Kuching North to feel secure and safe from exploitation, violence and abuse.
Under the MoU, Kuching North will be a better place for children. As neighbourhoods become safer, and schools and health systems operate more effectively, communities and infrastructure are enhanced for all and no child is left behind.
As a result of this MoU, DBKU and UNICEF will collaborate in a series of endeavours that range from generating evidence on children, finding innovative solutions to identified problems, to enhancing an environment within communities where children feel safe and nurtured, provided with the opportunities and elements to thrive and are given opportunities to express their opinions and influence decision that affect them.
For the record, the MOU signing ceremony was done at DBKU headquarters in Kuching on Thursday (January 2).
The director of DBKU Mohamed Khaidir Abang and deputy representative of the UNICEF programme Sanja Saranovic officiated at the signing ceremony that was witnessed by Deputy Minister of Utility and Telecommunication of Sarawak Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi, mayor of DBKU Datuk Junaidi Reduan and chief of Social Policy UNICEF Dr Juanita Vasquez Escallon alongside the permanent secretary of Ministry for Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Noriah Ahmad.
