KUCHING: The UNICEF East Asia-Europe Child Friendly Cities Interregional Exchange programme has yielded valuable insights into policies, innovation, knowledge, projects, and children’s participation that can be applied in Sarawak.
Minister of Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah expressed her thoughts on the Malaysian delegation’s participation in the programme held in Madrid, Spain and Helsinki, Finland.
“This exchange programme has provided us with crucial knowledge and strategies that can be implemented in Sarawak to promote Child Friendly Cities Initiatives (CFCI).
“Such initiative is a response to the challenges posed by an increasingly urbanised and decentralised world in terms of realising the rights of children.
“CFCI has played a pivotal role in encouraging governments and stakeholders to prioritise the rights and needs of their youngest citizens and involve them in local decision-making processes,” she said.
To date, five local municipalities in Sarawak have signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with UNICEF to implement CFCI.
These municipalities include Kuching South City Council (MBKS), Kuching North City Hall (DBKU), Miri City Council, Padawan Municipal Council, and Sibu Municipal Council.
Fatimah was among the Malaysian delegation that participated in the programme. She was joined by her ministry’s permanent secretary Noriah Ahmad, Sarawak Social Development Council executive secretary Dr Zufar Yadi Brendan Abdullah, MBKS mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng, Miri City Council mayor Adam Yii Siew Sang, Petaling Jaya mayor Datuk Mohamad Azhan Md, and local municipality senior officers from Kuching North City Hall, Petaling Jaya City Council, and representative from the Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Sarawak.
The six-day programme consisted of a policy dialogue in Madrid and study tours for delegates to CFCI cities in Spain and Finland held from Sept 4 until 9.
The policy dialogue attended by the Malaysian delegation, was organised by UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and Pacific supported by UNICEF Spain, UNICEF Finland and UNICEF East Asia Child Friendly Cities Network.
Among participating Asian countries were Vietnam, China and the Philippines, while the European countries were represented by Austria, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Poland, Spain and Switzerland.
