PADAWAN: Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) has become the fourth local authority to join a United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) effort to promote the rights of children.
It signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Unicef on its Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI).
At the signing ceremony on Wednesday, MPP chairman Tan Kai highlighted that MPP was following in the footsteps of Dewan Bandaraya Kuching Utara (DBKU), Majlis Bandaraya Kuching Selatan (MBKS) and Majlis Bandaraya Miri (MCC).
“The CFCI is a Unicef-led initiative that aims to promote the rights of children at the local level, based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
“The CFCI envisions cities and municipalities as child-friendly places, where children are protected from exploitation, violence, and abuse, have access to essential social services, can express their opinions and influence decisions, have the right to family life, make friends, and have safe places to play,” explained Tan.
He emphasised the importance of protecting the dreams and aspirations of children and expressed his gratitude to Unicef for including MPP in their roadmap and implementation of the CFCI.
Highlighting the significance of this initiative for Padawan, he said, it aims to create a safe and nurturing environment for children to grow up in, with access to essential services and opportunities for development.
Meanwhile, Unicef Deputy Representative Programme, Sanja Saranovic, explained that the CFCI is an initiative launched in 1996 by Unicef and UN-Habitat to recognise the commitments of local authorities worldwide in upholding the principles outlined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Malaysia is also committed.
“The CFCI will complement the Smart City Proof of Concept and Sustainable Development Goals initiatives already undertaken by the Padawan Municipal Council.
“It is indeed a golden opportunity for Unicef to partner with a local council that has taken such progressive commitments to ensure quality and sustainable living standards for its community, including children,” she said.
Saranovic added that a study called “Families on the Edge” was conducted during the period when the Movement Control Order was imposed, which revealed that women and children from low-income households in urban areas have been the most negatively impacted.
“Children from low-income families were disproportionately affected in terms of education, health, and nutrition. Therefore, as the country recovers from post Covid-19, more attention and resources need to be given to children to build their resilience against future pandemics, disasters, and long-term threats posed by climate change.”
“Through this partnership, we expect concrete results for children at the local level, as neighbourhoods become safer, schools and health systems operate more effectively, and communities and infrastructure are enhanced for all citizens,” she said.
