How Will the 2026 Child-Friendly City Plan Transform Safety and Participation in Anyang?

Choi Dae-ho, mayor of Anyang in Gyeonggi Province, said on the 27th that his administration would tighten and refine policies to prioritize child participation and safety.
 
Mayor Choi revised the 2026 Comprehensive Action Plan for Child-Friendly Cities to strengthen implementation after the city received UNICEF Child-Friendly City certification.
 
At the regular meeting of the 7th Child-Friendly City Promotion Committee, held in the City Hall electronic conference room, Mayor Choi reviewed policy directions and detailed action items focused on expanding child participation and strengthening safety.
 
10 people attended the meeting, including city council members, child welfare experts and NGO representatives.
 
The committee agreed to modify several existing initiatives that have become difficult to implement under changing conditions and to refocus policy on meaningful child participation and creating safe living environments.
 
The main agenda included 6 new initiatives and institutional reforms: △ establishing a standing Child Participation Committee △ setting procedures to gather children’s input during policy development △ creating integrated child protection zones △ introducing a Child-Friendly Space certification program △ conducting a standard survey for Child-Friendly Cities, among other measures.
 
Mayor Choi said the committee also discussed moving away from evaluations based on quantitative output toward a KPI system centered on quality and inclusivity, measuring policy adoption, satisfaction and perceived impact.
 
Since receiving UNICEF certification in June of last year, Mayor Choi has pursued projects to promote children’s rights, including outreach child-rights education, running a children’s rights advocate program, operating a child policy task force and installing water fixtures dedicated to infants and toddlers.
 
A UNICEF Child-Friendly City certification recognizes cities that embed the 4 core rights of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child—survival, protection, development and participation—across municipal governance.
 
Meanwhile, Choi Dae-ho said he will continue practical efforts to ensure children’s voices shape policy and that safety becomes part of daily life in Anyang.