The state of Penang comprised of Penang Island, where the capital city – George Town – is located, and Seberang Perai (formerly Province Wellesley). Penang island, measuring about 301 square kilometres, is located off the coast of Northwest Malaysia. It is a bustling developed city and it boasts of two UNESCO sites that complement its socio-economic developments.

Data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia has revealed that Penang will have the largest proportion of people aged 60 and above in Malaysia at 26.2% by 2040, an increase from 14.87% in 2020. In preparation for this, the City Council of Penang Island and the Penang Women’s Development Corporation (PWDC) has recently entered into a three-year public-private partnership in consultation with the Malaysian Healthy Ageing Society (MHAS) to introduce an Age-Friendly City Project. This project will adopt WHO guidelines in implementing, monitoring and reporting on a city-wide action plan. The project’s primary goal is to successfully establish Penang Island as an age-friendly city by providing facilities and services that meet the needs and requirements of residents of all ages and abilities.

An Age Friendly City approach would not be possible without public engagement and working alongside with local communities, specifically the targeted age groups. Baseline assessments will be conducted to explore the age-friendliness of the city as per the eight domains under the WHO’s Global Age-friendly Cities Framework. The collected data will then be utilised to engage relevant stakeholders through a suitable platform.

The purpose of joining the WHO Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities is to allow us to share and exchange information for a better outcome in our Age-Friendly City Project while at the same time, provide valuable insights into successful and effective practises. We look forward to sharing our age-friendly practices and initiatives with the world through this network and hope our application is accepted.