WHO’s Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities welcomes Kuching as its newest member in Malaysia

Kuching - capital of the largest Malaysian State, Sarawak - joined WHO's Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (AFCC), becoming the fifth city in the country that has committed to fostering participation of older people in the community, promoting healthy and active ageing. The celebration ceremony that took place on 14 September was attended by the Deputy Premier, Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government in Sarawak, Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian and the Mayor of Kuching South, Datuk Wee Hong Seng, along with the WHO Representative to Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore, Dr Rabindra Abeyasinghe and over 70 other guests.

Photo caption: The presentation of the Age-Friendly Cities and Communities certificate by Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe to Datuk Wee Hong Seng and Datuk Amar Dr. Sim Kui Hian Source: WHO

The future should be age-friendly

13.7% of Kuching's 610,000 population are aged 60 and above. "There is a growing understanding that the ageing of society is inevitable, and we need to ensure that our elderly have not just life but a better life", Datuk Wee said. He highlighted that joining the WHO AFCC network is an important milestone in creating opportunities for meaningful social participation of older people. He added, the city's authorities are ready to put their plans into action to bring about a brighter future for the older generation in Kuching.

"This network is an opportunity to share experiences and improve things across eight different domains, not just health", - highlighted Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO Representative to Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Singapore echoing the broader mandate of the organization to achieve the wellbeing of the member states population. "We are building a better future for older people, that means also for us, because we will all sooner or later join the club" - he said, adding that there are a lot of actions the authorities could take to quickly improve the lives of older people in Kuching and make them feel safer, more respected and included. Dr. Rabindra expressed the wish that many other Sarawak cities would join the AFCC network soon to meet the needs of the rapidly growing older population in the State in embracing their human capital.

Dr Sim pointed out that well-being and inclusion are an important part of the development and prosperity that goes beyond only economical thriving. He also added that ageing should be environmentally sustainable.

Photo caption: Eight domains of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Source: WHO

What are the benefits of making cities age-friendly?

In 2020, over 11.2% of the population in Malaysia was aged 60 years and above. The projections suggest this figure will reach 15% by 2030 and almost a quarter of the population will be 60 years or older by 2050. Eventually, all cities in the country will need to adapt to this reality to fully harness the social and economic contributions of such a significant proportion of the population. The WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities was established in 2010 to connect cities, communities and organizations worldwide with the common vision of making their community a great place to grow old in. The network

• inspires change by showing what can be done and how it can be done;
• connects cities and communities worldwide to facilitate the exchange of information, knowledge and experience;
• and supports them in funding appropriate innovative and evidence-based solutions.

As a response to global population ageing and rapid urbanization, it focuses on action at the local level that fosters the full participation of older people in community life and promotes healthy and active ageing. The Global Network represents over 1600 cities and communities across 52 countries who have committed to becoming more age friendly, brought together by WHO as its Secretariat.

For more information on how to join the network: Dr. Nazirul Shamsudin, Technical Officer leading AFCC programme [email protected] with Tatiana Shcherbakova, Partnerships and External Relations Support Officer [email protected] in copy

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.