Osan City Holds First Session of Child-Friendly City Promotion Committee

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] On the 15th, Osan City held the "2020 First Session of the Child-Friendly City Promotion Committee" online to establish the "Second Phase Child-Friendly City Promotion Four-Year Plan (2021-2024)."

The Osan City Child-Friendly City Promotion Committee is composed of 15 members, including committee chairman Kwak Sang-wook, Mayor of Osan City, as well as city officials, city council members, child welfare experts, parents, and children.

With 17 participants, including committee members and researchers from the Institute for Local Administration Development, joining online, the meeting covered ▲status reports on the establishment of the second phase child-friendly city promotion four-year plan ▲agenda reports on citizen opinion gathering forums.

During the meeting, committee members discussed the "Citizen Participation Child Policy 100-Person Untact Forum" scheduled for the 25th.

Osan City, which was certified as a UNICEF Child-Friendly City first in Gyeonggi Province in 2017, is preparing for higher-level UNICEF Child-Friendly City certification in 2021.

Higher-level Child-Friendly City certification is a system that evaluates and certifies child-friendly city projects conducted by local governments that have received UNICEF Child-Friendly City certification.

Last year, the city conducted a second child-friendly index survey targeting all children in the city, child guardians, and child-related professionals. Based on child-related issues identified through this survey, the city plans to hold a "Citizen Participation Child Policy 100-Person Untact Forum" on the 25th to actively gather opinions at the level of children's perspectives.

Mayor Kwak Sang-wook of Osan City stated, "This is an important time when the role of the Child-Friendly City Promotion Committee, which is the center of private-public-academic cooperation, is crucial for Osan City's higher-level UNICEF Child-Friendly City certification. I urge the committee members to take greater interest and play an active role."

Even amid the COVID-19 situation, the city is promoting various policies to protect children's rights and create a child-friendly urban environment through online channels, including launching the Osan City Children and Youth Council "Untact" inauguration ceremony, the seventh Dream Play-ground planning meeting, civic coordination activities for cultural city development, and youth budget schools.