More cities in Sarawak encouraged to join WHO Age-Friendly Cities, Communities network

KUCHING (Oct 14): It is hoped that more cities in Sarawak will join the World Health Organisation (WHO) Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (AFCC) network following the designation of Kuching South City Council (MBKS) as its newest member in Malaysia, said Dr Rabindra Abeyasinghe.

The WHO representative also looked forward to MBKS, under the leadership of Kuching South mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng, becoming a mentor to the other cities in embarking on the age-friendly city initiative.

“I hope that he will be able to mentor the other smaller cities across Sarawak so that we have more volunteers in joining this initiative.

“This is because we have elderly populations not only in Kuching and we want all of them to feel included, to feel respected and to give them opportunities,” he said at the launch of MBKS as an AFCC member at MBKS Building here today.

Officiating at the event was Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian.

Kuching is the fifth city in Malaysia to be part of AFCC in addition to Taiping, Ipoh, Penang island and Sibu.

Dr Rabindra, who is also the head of WHO Country Office to Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore, said the tag of an ‘Age-Friendly City’ is not given at the end of the process.

“This is because for many people, they are close to the end of their years, and we cannot take 10 years to certify a place.

“As such, it is the desire to join and then we continue to improve day-by-day the opportunities for them to live better and to feel included through this effort,” he said.

He said the AFCC global network serves as an opportunity for member cities to share experiences across eight domains.

“It is not just about health. It is also about well-being, social inclusivity, transportation and many other things where you can gradually improve the lives of the people.”

He said WHO will support MBKS throughout this journey and help the council in improving across the eight domains that can help to identify and address barriers to the well-being and participation of older people.

“We will work in partnership with you, and we will create opportunities through the global network where we come together to exchange experience on an annual basis,” he said.

Also present were Kuching South mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng and deputy mayor Dato Dr Zaiedi Suhaili.