A Child Friendly City is a local system of good governance
committed to fulfilling children's rights
Child in the City Conference 2010
Child in the City Conference
27-29 October 2010
Palazzo dei Congressi – Florence, Italy
The 3-day Conference was organized by the European Network of Child Friendly Cities and the Child in the City Foundation in partnership with the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, the Istituto degli Innocenti and UNICEF Italy. It brought together nearly 300 delegates from 38 countries around the world giving them the opportunity to address issues related to the future of child friendly urban centres. The four key themes on which the debate was focused were: child participation, child poverty, the right to play, and assessment tools and self-evaluation of policies for children at the local level.
Participation of children and young people was highlighted throughout the meeting as a matter of fundamental importance for the identification of innovative solutions in all sectors. An example was given of the public transport policy in Stockholm, Sweden, which was developed through a consultative process with children and adolescents who have provided invaluable input regarding city’s routes, speed limits and the establishment of green spaces. Other positive examples came from Italy, the UK and the Netherlands, where children have been directly involved in the design of play areas and other spaces for leisure and recreation. In some cases, children also helped to carry out the project they had designed. The participation of children should also include the youngest children (0-8 year olds). It was shown that by giving children the opportunity to participate in such processes, local governments are able to find solutions that are more effective and meet the needs of all citizens, in accordance with the principle that a child-friendly city is a city suitable for all.
Participation not only contributes to enhancing children’s social skills and preventing anti-social behaviour but it also significantly contributes to fostering citizenship and democracy. In this process, schools play a key role by providing children a place where they can develop physically and socially. Youth councils stem directly from the school context and constitute the most common form and type of child participation. Despite the valuable experiences shared, it is clear that more needs to be done to ensure local governments understand the importance of involving young people in their decision-making processes.
The second main theme of the Conference was child poverty. It was stressed that the condition of poverty in which many children find themselves can only be tackled through strong political will. It was often highlighted that poverty should be understood not as lack of income, but essentially as a lack of opportunities that exclude the child from society. In promoting anti-poverty strategies, it is important to foster intergenerational dialogue, and integration and collaboration within communities and urban spaces.
The third key theme builds upon the right to play. The main outcome of this discussion indicated that there is a need to involve the public and the media in such a way to provoke cultural change. At the moment, the right to play isn’t given enough credit, but it is of extreme importance in the holistic concept of development, as it contributes to shaping children into future adult citizens.
Regarding assessment tools and self-evaluation methods of child rights at the local level, it was stressed that assessment and evaluation are essential components for the design of Child Friendly Cities. Assessment shows the impact achieved by the actions undertaken towards the fulfilment of child rights and should also track and value progress made. It is hoped that in doing this, city authorities should feel encouraged to continue towards the goals undertaken. For this reason, there is a need for a global set with minimum indicators, easily adaptable to the local context that can guide the cities in their efforts. The assessment approaches used should be of different types and should focus on obtaining numerical data, but also on the possibility of integrating the views of children and citizens. Indicators should thus be simple and be both quantitative and qualitative. Furthermore, the methods used should be creative and should provide for a genuine, democratic representation, involving all groups of children. Finally, it should be underlined that assessment is a necessary process which requires a certain level of political commitment. This may ultimately contribute to creating a culture of child rights reflecting political motivation.
During the closing ceremony, the President of the Istituto degli InnocentI, Alessandra Maggi, spoke of the importance of reviving the Italian initiative on Sustainable Cities for Boys and Girls, which in the late 1990s had seen the involvement of 427 local governments, 27 of which were rewarded for their efforts. The President identified four points for the revival of the initiative, in line with the themes of the Conference: children's participation, the involvement of local authorities, partnership with associations and the third sector, and research and innovation for the dissemination of good practice in urban centres.
The Interim Director of UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre (IRC), Gordon Alexander, denounced a common trend of cuts in governmental social expenditure, which has a significant impact on children’s well-being, and especially the most vulnerable ones from ethnic minorities and migrant children. He called for allocation of resources to be a priority in the political agenda of both local and national governments.
At the end of the Conference the Deputy Mayor of Zagreb officially announced that their city will host the next Child in the City Conference in 2012.