Child-Friendly Cities

The Child-Friendly Cities Initiative is a global movement towards the development and governance of cities that are safe, inclusive, and where young people have opportunities to participate in local decision making and community life. The initiative, launched in 1996, was born out of the recognition of children’s rights with the formulation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989; 54 articles aligned to all aspects of children’s lives including social, cultural, economic, and political rights. The Convention recognises the rights of children, anywhere in the world, irrespective of their physical, social, political, religious, or ethnic background. This entry explores the mandate of the Child-Friendly [Page 294]Cities Initiative, the role of United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund in promoting the initiative, ...