Uiwang City Receives WHO Age-Friendly City Certification

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] Uiwang City announced on the 24th that it received age-friendly city certification from the World Health Organization (WHO) and joined the international network.

The age-friendly city initiative is a policy that WHO has been promoting since 2009 to effectively respond to global aging and urbanization trends. Cities must meet the eight domain criteria set by WHO, including transportation, housing, leisure, and social activities, to join the network.

With this certification, the city is designated as an age-friendly city following its designation as a women-friendly city in 2018. Additionally, the city plans to soon receive certification from UNICEF for its status as a child-friendly city, which is "a city where children can live better lives and have a child-friendly environment."

The city has made proactive preparations to respond to the rapid aging that will progress in the future and the resulting changes in the local community.

In particular, to create an "Uiwang-style" age-friendly city with the vision of "a new Uiwang where seniors are happy," the city established an ordinance on age-friendly city development in March, providing a legal foundation. The city also completed a three-year basic plan through age-friendly city development services and age-friendly surveys.

Based on this, the city plans to fulfill 72 detailed age-friendly city projects across six domains in accordance with international standards. Over the next three years, the city plans to submit implementation plan evaluations and a five-year mid-to-long-term age-friendly city plan to receive recertification.

Meanwhile, the current population of residents aged 65 and over in the Uiwang area accounts for 14.1% of the total population, and it is expected to enter a super-aged society (20% or more of the population) by 2025.

Mayor Kim Sang-don of Uiwang City said, "Joining the international network for age-friendly cities is not only for the elderly, but about creating an urban environment where all generations can communicate and maximize happiness through such interaction," and added, "As a result of this certification, I will make Uiwang a city where all citizens harmonize and live comfortably even in old age, and where people want to live their entire lives regardless of age."