By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, Nov 20: The ‘Child-Friendly Cities’ poster design competition aims to raise awareness and inform the public about the importance of working together as a city and community to protect children and their rights and provide a safe, secure environment in which they can live and grow up healthy and happy, says Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng.
Wee stated this in his speech at the ‘Child-Friendly Cities’ poster prize ceremony, which was held today at the MBKS complex lobby.
“MBKS and I, as its mayor, want to involve everyone in advocating for and participating in the development and strengthening of a child-friendly city and community in Kuching, with the goal of spreading this initiative throughout Sarawak, one city at a time.
“When I say ‘everyone’, I mean people of all ages and social classes, from children to teenagers, adults to senior citizens,” he said.
He revealed that MBKS has organised a poster design competition on the theme of ‘Child-Friendly Cities’, which was held in conjunction with World Children’s Day on Nov 20, 2022.
He also stated that the purpose of the poster design competition is to see and hear what the children want for their ‘Child-Friendly Cities’.
“We received more than 100 posters from primary schools in Kuching, and we value every child’s contribution and the messages they conveyed in each poster submitted for this competition.
“Through this activity, we also have the opportunity to create awareness and inform the public of the significance of working hand-in-hand as a city and community to protect our children and their rights, and in providing a safe and secure environment for them to live and grow up healthy and happy,” he added.
Furthermore, Wee emphasised that Kuching is the first city in Sarawak to officially pledge support for Unicef’s (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) Child-Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI).
“This is to acknowledge and recognise the critical importance of active and committed participation in building child-friendly cities and communities locally worldwide,” he noted.
Cash, trophies, and certificates were awarded as prizes to the winners of the poster design competition. — DayakDaily
