KUALA LUMPUR: Seven locations across the country have been accepted into the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) global Age Friendly Cities and Communities (AFCC) network, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
The cities and towns are Taiping, Ipoh, Penang, Sibu, Kuching, Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the recognition reflects Malaysia’s ongoing efforts to make public spaces and services more accessible and welcoming to older people.
In a parliamentary written reply to Siti Mastura Muhamad (PN–Kepala Batas), Nancy said the government is working closely with local authorities and public transport operators to improve age-friendly infrastructure and to promote universal design in public areas and transport facilities.
These initiatives are guided by the National Senior Citizens Action Plan (Ptwen) 2026–2030, which aims to ensure that older Malaysians can live safely and comfortably in age-friendly environments.
Among the key strategies are expanding age-friendly city and district projects, and upgrading lifelong learning facilities at tertiary institutions to better support senior learners.
Nancy said progress is monitored by the National Senior Citizens Advisory and Consultative Council, which she chairs.
She added that the council’s Housing and Environment Sub-Committee—led by the Housing and Local Government Ministry—is carrying out access audits and follow-up checks in selected local authority areas to assess whether facilities meet the needs of senior citizens and persons with disabilities, in line with universal design standards.
“All these efforts aim to ensure older people can live in a safe, supportive and age-friendly environment,” she said, adding that a whole-of-nation effort involving the federal and state governments, local councils, private sector and industry players is needed.
