Highlights

Making Philippine Cities Child Friendly
Voices of Children in Poor Communities
ISBN 88-89129-36-0
2006

The study analyses how the Child Friendly Cities (CFC) approach has affected the lives of children living in poor urban communities in the Philippines in the context of the national Child Friendly Movement, an alliance of government, NGOs, civil society, children and UNICEF aimed at fulfilling children’s rights in this country. The study assesses how various sets of child rights are addressed and how the CFC approach provides a framework for implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child at the local level. The study reflects the viewpoint of children and the community, and provides recommendations for furthering the implementation of child rights by municipal governments.
This study was undertaken in partnership with the Institute of Philippine Culture, Ateneo de Manila University and with contributions from UNICEF Philippines.

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PDF philippine_research.pdf 2849, KB Full text

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UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre (IRC)
P.za SS. Annunziata, 12
Florence 50122,
Telephone: (+39) 055 20330
Fax: (+39) 055 244817
Email: florence@unicef.org
Website: http://www.unicef-icdc.org

La città con i bambini
Città amiche dell'infanzia in Italia
ISBN 88-89129-25-5
2005

The study describes the evolution of the culture of childhood in Italy and the emergence of a new culture of the city. As in other countries, the Child Friendly Cities movement in Italy recognises the child as an active subject from his/her own younger age and promotes a culture of the city that encourages young citizens to participate in decisions of local government that affect them. The study analyses the Child Friendly Cities movement developed by more than 100 Italian municipal governments focusing on processes encompassing planning, budgeting and monitoring plans of action for children at the local level. Child participation is analysed to assess how children’s views are reflected in decisions that have an impact on communities. The research looks at the specific experience of 12 cities selected on the basis of their performance as participants in the Sustainable Cities for Girls and Boys Project, geographical location and population size. Drawing from these, it recommends ways to further child rights-based programming at the municipal level.
This report was prepared in collaboration with academic partners from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, and the University of Urbino as well as with contributions from the Italian Committee for UNICEF and the Istituto degli Innocenti. It was produced in Italian and in English.

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PDF italian_research_it.pdf 503, KB Italian version
PDF italian_research_eng.pdf 374, KB English version

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UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre (IRC)
P.za SS. Annunziata, 12
Florence 50122,
Telephone: (+39) 055 20330
Fax: (+39) 055 244817
Email: florence@unicef.org
Website: http://www.unicef-icdc.org

Guía de Buenas Prácticas sobre Planes y Consejos de Infancia en el Ámbito Municipal Español
Informe de Situación 2004 (Edición 2004)
2004

This document presents the research for the creation of a “Guía de Buenas práctica sobre Planes de Infancia y Consejos de Infancia en el ámbito municipal español” (Guide of Good Practices on Plans of Action and Children’s Councils at Spanish municipal level). This report explains the justification and objectives of the research, the methodology followed and the results obtained. It describes the documentation collected from Spanish municipalities and summarizes the best practices. The document also contains appendixes.
The research was elaborated within the framework of the programme Ciudades Amigas de la Infancia (Child Friendly Cities), an initiative established by UNICEFComité Español, Federación Española de Municipios y Provincias – FEMP (The Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces) and Red Local a Favor de los Derechos de la Infancia y la Adolescencia ((Local Network in favour of the Rights of Children and Adolescents). The research was financed by the Ministerio de Trabajo y Asuntos Sociales – MTAS (Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs) and was coordinated by the UNICEFComité Español and the Centro de Psicología Aplicada, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. The research benefited of the collaboration of experts of the Red Local a Favor de los Derechos de la Infancia y la Adolescencia and the Federación Española de Municipios y Provincias – FEMP.
For more information on the Ciudades Amigas de la Infancia programme visit the Ciudades Amigas de la Infancia website.

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Centro de Psicología Aplicada, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Campus de Cantoblanco
Madrid 28049,
Telephone: 91 497 86 87
Fax: 91 497 52 15
Email: cpa@uam.es
Website: http://www.uam.es/centros/psicologia/paginas/cpa/paginas/

Ministerio de Trabajo y Asuntos Sociales

UNICEF Spain
calle Mauricio Legendre, 36
Madrid 28046,
Telephone: (34) 91 3789563
Fax: (34) 91 3147475
Email: unicef@unicef.es
Website: http://www.unicef.es

Making London better for all Children and Young People
The Mayor’s Children and Young People’s Strategy
ISBN 1 85261 565 6
2004

More than a decade after the almost universal international ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, children are receiving a higher profile on the public policy agenda. The UK government is giving high priority to tackling poverty and social exclusion. It has introduced a wide range of measures to combat child poverty, and to improve children and young people’s future chances of inclusion. The regional Children and Young People's Unit (CYPU), established in 2004 by the Mayor of London at the Greater London Authority (GLA), has supported cross-government work in London on child poverty and youth disadvantage and exemplified a more holistic approach to planning for children and to promoting their well-being and participation rights Recent policy developments, set out in the Green Paper Every Child Matters, continue to highlight this strong public policy commitment to the implementation of children’s UN Convention rights. With respect to London, this document represents another step forward in this important journey to place children’s interests at the heart of policymaking and to ensure and protect children’s UN Convention rights. Making London Better For All Children and Young People aims to build on the ambitions set out in Every Child Matters, delivering clear improvements, with and for London’s children, in the same five priority areas identified by government. By setting out a vision for a child-friendly London, the framework also builds on developments across Europe and internationally, to place children’s needs and rights at the centre of urban policy and planning for sustainability. Work is therefore focused around three strategic objectives: 1) ensuring we listen to and provide a voice for London’s children and young people; 2) developing a better understanding of the diversity of young Londoners’ lives; 3) delivering improvements for London’s children and young people in a number of priority areas. The strategic framework has also been shaped by three core themes: a) reducing poverty and social exclusion; b) promoting inclusion and equality; c) making the case for the delivery of quality services and facilities. This document is well grounded in research – including the State of London’s Children Report (2001) – and it has been developed through a process of extensive consultation. However, there is a clear need to develop and maintain a more coherent understanding of the position, circumstances and detailed needs of children and young people in London. This strategic objective aims to ensure that the strategy implementation continues to be informed by research and consultation and that appropriate systems are developed for ongoing monitoring and evaluation. The Mayor’s Children and Young People’s Unit (CYPU) will take forward the ongoing development, implementation and monitoring of the Children and Young People’s Strategy. The full strategy document, an executive summary, a leaflet and a child-friendly version of the strategy are available for download.
For further information visit the Mayor of London website.

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PDF london_strategy_full.pdf 1.37 MB, KB Full text
PDF london_strategy_summary.pdf 1,37 MB, KB Executive summary
PDF london_strategy_childversion.pdf 1,02 MB, KB Child-friendly version

Link:
URL http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/strategies/children/index.jsp/

Contact

Greater London Authority
City Hall, The Queen's Walk
London SE1 2AA,
Telephone: (44) 020 7983 4100
Fax:
Email:
Website: http://www.london.gov.uk

Poverty and Exclusion among Urban Children

ISSN 1028 3528
2002

The cities of the world are often regarded as hubs of wealth and priviledge, but they are also home to hundreds of millions of children for whom poverty and exclusion are a daily reality. Some of these children live on the street; many more live in dangerous, insanitary housing which often lacks the most basic amenities, including clean water and satisfactory sanitation. These urban children rarely have access to adequate services, including schooling, or to safe areas for play and recreation. The imperative of economic survival can mean not only that parents are unable to dedicate sufficient time to childcare, but also that children themselves are forced to work, often in hazardous conditions. Yet all this need not be the case: this Digest examines the potential of good urban governance founded upon human rights principles to promote positive change for and with children. The key to eradicating urban poverty and exclusion lies in the development of child-friendly cities where children’s rights are made a priority in budgeting, planning and resource allocation and where children’s voices inform the democratic process. This publication is available in English, Italian, Spanish and Arabic.
For publication orders, visit the UNICEF IRC website.

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PDF digest10e.pdf 343, KB English version
PDF digest10it.pdf 279, KB Italian version
PDF digest10arabic.pdf 679, KB Arab version
PDF digest10es.pdf 569, KB Spanish version

Link:
URL http://www.unicef-icdc.org/publications/index.html

Contact

UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre (IRC)
P.za SS. Annunziata, 12
Florence 50122,
Telephone: (+39) 055 20330
Fax: (+39) 055 244817
Email: florence@unicef.org
Website: http://www.unicef-icdc.org

L'infanzia urbana fra povertà ed esclusione sociale

ISSN 1028 3528
2003

Creating Better Cities with Children and Youth
A Manual for Participation
ISBN 92 3 103815 X (UNESCO) 1 85383 853 5 (Earthscan)
2001

This book is a practical manual on how to conceptualise structure and facilitate the participation of young people in the community development process. It is an important tool for urban planners, municipal officials, community development staff, non-governmental organizations, educators, youth-serving agencies, youth advocates, and others who are involved in the community development process. It offers inspiration to all who believe in the value of community education and empowerment as a fundamental building block of a vibrant and resilient civil society and who feel concern for young people and the quality of their lives. UNESCO’s Growing Up in Cities project has tested the manual's core ideas and methods in a wide range of urban field settings both in developing and industrialized cities. Case studies from project cities help to demonstrate the methods in action and show how they can be customized to meet local needs. They provide lessons and insights to help ensure a successful project, and highlight the universal applicability and value of young people's participation. The ideas and results from the country studies of the Growing Up in Cities project are presented in the companion volume "Growing Up in an Urbanising World" (see Accompanying Material).
The GUIC manual can be found at www.unesco.org/most/guic/guiccbccy.htm.
For more information about the GUIC project visit the GUIC website.

Link:
URL http://www.unesco.org/most/guic/guiccbccy.htm

Contact

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
7, place de Fontenoy
Paris 07 SP 75352,
Telephone: (33) 1 45681000
Fax: (33) 1 45671690
Email: clearing-house@unesco.org
Website: http://www.unesco.org

Growing Up in an Urbanising World

ISBN 1853838284
2002

This volume marks the revival of the UNESCO project Growing Up in Cities, pioneered in the 1970s by the influential urban planner Kevin Lynch, which is directed towards understanding the reasons why young people find their city a good place in which to grow up, or a place from which they feel alienated and disconnected. Growing Up in Cities is a joint initiative by the UNESCO MOST Programme (Management of Social Transformations Programme) working with interdisciplinary teams of municipal officials, urban professionals, and child advocates from around the world. In this publication, an interdisciplinary team of experts in child development and urban planning describe and analyse the relationship between young people and their urban surroundings in eight cities: Buenos Aires (Argentina), Melbourne (Australia), Bangalore (India), Trondheim (Norway), Warsaw (Poland), Johannesburg (South Africa), Northampton (United Kingdom), and Oakland, California (United States). Focusing on low-income neighbourhoods, they highlight common obstacles to participatory processes and recommend policies and practices that will make cities more responsive to the needs of children and adolescents. They also compare and examine the conclusions of research from the 1970s and 1990s. With a new emphasis on the active participation of children and youth in community planning, this volume shows how principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Agenda 21 and the Habitat Agenda can be implemented at the local level in order to engage young people’s insights, energy and creativity in shaping their cities and towns. This volume provides new insights into these issues for academics, architects, urban planners, development practitioners, activists for children’s rights or environmental protection, and for parents and those concerned to know how well urban environments address the needs of future generations. Each chapter of this book has been separately catalogued in the present database.
For more information visit Growing Up in Cities UNESCO project.

Link:
URL http://www.unesco.org/most/guic/guicmain.htm

Building Better Cities with Children and Youth

Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 14 No. 2, October 2002
ISSN 0956-2478
2002

The October 2002 monographic issue of Environment & Urbanization on "Building better cities with children and youth" has been jointly prepared by IIED - International Institute for Environment and Development and UNICEF Headquarters, field offices and IRC's Child Friendly Cities Secretariat. The papers reflect different UNICEF experiences in its efforts of building cities with and for children and youth. It also includes papers from various researchers in the international Growing up in Cities Initiative, case studies on the Brazilian city of Barra Mansa's child-oriented budgeting process and on an awards-based initiative to strengthen the implementation of child rights in the State of Ceará (Brazil). It also offers an overview of urban youth in conflict with the law in Africa, and an account of what recent demographic and health surveys in Africa reveal regarding the health of children in urban areas.
To order copy consult IIED-Human Settlements Programme website.

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PDF eucontents.pdf 53, KB Contents page
PDF articlesummaries.pdf 40, KB Article summaries

Link:
URL http://www.iied.org/human/eandu/eandu_details.html

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International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
3 Endsleight Street
London WC1H 0DD,
Telephone: (44) 171 388 2117
Fax: (44) 171 3882826
Email: humans@iied.org
Website: http://www.iied.org/eandu

Children, Youth and Environments

2003

The journal Children, Youth and Environments (CYE) brings free access to the latest peer-reviewed research on environments for young people right to your computer. This long-awaited redevelopment of the print journal, Children’s Environments, offers a new, high-quality outlet for refereed articles on children and youth around the world. Guided by a distinguished international panel of editorial advisors, CYE targets a global and multidisciplinary audience. CYE publishes research from the social sciences, the design professions, the humanities, education and other relevant disciplines. Articles cover varied topics and approaches, including quantitative and qualitative empirical research; theoretical, methodological and historical investigations; critical literature reviews; design analyses; post-occupancy evaluations; policy studies; and program assessments. The editors welcome papers from diverse viewpoints and different cultures.
Children, Youth and Environments is on line at http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/index.html.

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PDF children_youth_environments.pdf CYE Flyer

Link:
URL http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/index.html

Contact

University of Colorado
CB 314
Boulder CO 80309-0314, Colorado
Telephone: (303) 492-1319
Fax: (303) 492-6163
Email: cye@colorado.edu
Website: http://cye.colorado.edu

Children's Participation - Evaluating Effectiveness

PLA Notes - participatory learning and action, Vol. No. 42, October
ISSN 1357 938 X
2001

PLA Notes enable practitioners of participatory methodologies from around the world to share their field experiences, conceptual reflections, and methodological innovations. The series is informal and seeks to publish frank accounts, address issues of practical and immediate value, encourage innovation, and act as a "voice from the field". The theme for this special issue is children's participation in community settings - evaluating effectiveness. It contents a themed section of eleven articles (see Accompanying material) and two general articles on participatory approaches. The “Tips for Trainers” section introduces participants to some of the principles of participation and empowerment, transparency and sharing. The “In touch” section features selection of book reviews, workshops, events and e-participation pages. The issue is based on a symposium on "Children's Participa.tion in Community Settings", held in Oslo, Norway in June 2000. The guest editor for this issue is Louise Chawla of Kentucky State University, International Coordinator of the Growing Up in Cities project, funded by UNESCO's MOST programme.

Link:
URL http://www.unesco.org/most/guic/guicmain.htm
URL http://www.iied.org

Contact

International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
3 Endsleight Street
London WC1H 0DD,
Telephone: (44) 171 388 2117
Fax: (44) 171 3882826
Email: humans@iied.org
Website: http://www.iied.org/eandu

Cities for Children
Children's Rights, Poverty and Urban Management
ISBN 1 85383 470
1999

This book is intended as a source of information for local authorities and their partners as they work to make their cities better places for children and adolescents. The volume looks at a variety of issues such as housing, community participation, working children, community health, education and juvenile justice. It also discusses the challenge of establishing systems of governance that can promote the economic security, social justice and environmental care essential for the realisation of children's rights. The book follows through the practical implications for the structure, policies and practices of local authorities. Written by the top experts in the field of children's issues, and including a resource section which lists publications and organizations that can provide further information and support, this book is essential reading for all involved in planning for, and the protection of, children within the urban environment.
For more information: Earthscan Publications
This publication is part of the Innocenti Library. Click here to consult the UNICEF IRC Catalogue.

Link:
URL http://www.iied.org
URL http://www.earthscan.co.uk
URL http://www.unicef-icdc.org/resources/library.html

Children's Rights and Habitat
Working towards Child-Friendly Cities
1996

UNICEF and UNCHS/Habitat convened an international group of officials, practitioners, researchers and activists on 1 and 2 February 1996 to articulate the habitat conditions necessary to fulfil children's needs. Participants at the Expert Seminar determined that an effective approach for addressing the habitat needs of children was to give due consideration to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. As the next phase of this effort, UNICEF organized a workshop during the Habitat II conference in Istanbul and a group of local authorities, researchers and agency officials met to share their ideas and experiences in the ongoing attempt to work towards the creation of child-friendly cities. Using Children's Rights and Habitat as a starting point, participants worked together in regional groups to identify the local and regional obstacles to the achievement of child-friendly cities, and to define the strategies and mechanisms for overcoming these obstacles.
This publication is part of the Innocenti Library. Click here to consult the UNICEF IRC Catalogue.

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PDF habitat_cfc.pdf 153, KB Full document

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URL http://www.unicef-icdc.org/resources/library.html

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UNICEF NYHQ
3 United Nations Plaza
New York 10017, N.Y.
Telephone: (1 212) 3267000
Fax: (1 212) 8877465
Email:
Website: http://www.unicef.org

I bambini trasformano la città
Metodologie e buone prassi della progettazione partecipata con i bambini
2001

This third volume documenting the project “Le Città sostenibili delle bambine e dei bambini” (Sustainable cities for children) resulted from the collaboration of Italian Ministery of the Environment with Istituto degli Innocenti (Institute of the Innocents) and Fondazione IDIS – Città della Scienza di Napoli (IDIS Foundation - City of Science, Naples). The text is divided into three parts: methodology, best practices and reflections. It is meant to consolidate, deepen and give future direction to the work of making Italian cities more accommodating to the needs of children. Through the notion that to give a voice to the weakest is to strengthen the whole. The significance of the methodologies used in the “best practice” projects is that they always foster participation by children in the transformation of a city into a child-friendly environment; the children become protagonists able to analyse their surroundings and to evaluate their changing environment. The European Awareness Scenario Workshop (EASW) methodology applying to participative projects with children is well documented in this book. The detailed explanations of the process of conducting a workshop are accompanied by photographs of children’s work and of children at work. The reflections that complete the book elaborate the obstacles that could inhibit further progress: lack of strict adherence to internationally and nationally agreed goals of citizen participation; maintaining children’s participation in municipal administration at the minimum input level of “project”; frequent changes of staff at the local administration level impede consolidation of the instruments of citizen participation; theoretical acceptance of participative processes but lack of implementation; the professional consultants in this field are small in number; inadequate rewards for professional staff to encourage them to include participative components in the design of projects; the diffusion of complex methodologies is impeded by the process of awarding contracts to the lowest bidder; the long gestation periods that serious participative processes need are often not compatible with the usual practices of government projects; the propositions put forward by children often go against the rigidity of conventional, bureaucratic, decision making processes.
For more information http://www.cittasostenibili.minori.it/ in Italian language.

Link:
URL http://www.cittasostenibili.minori.it

Contact

Istituto degli Innocenti
Piazza SS. Annunziata, 12
Florence 50122,
Telephone: (39) 055 2037364
Fax:
Email: cittasostenibili@minori.it
Website: http://www.istitutodeglinnocenti.it/

Ministero dell'Ambiente (Ministry of Environment)
Via Cristoforo Colombo, 44
Rome 00147,
Telephone: (39) 06 57221
Fax: (39) 06 57225990
Email: redazione@svs.minambiente.it
Website: http://www.minambiente.it/

Children First
A Permanent European Child-Friendly Forum to be launched with the backing of the EESC (European Economic and Social Committee)
2002

A hearing on children and youth policies in Europe, entitled "Children First", was held on 25 June 2002 at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). The event was supported by a wide range of organizations dealing with children and youth policies such as the European Network of Child-friendly Cities, The European Network on Street Children Worldwide, the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders, EURONET and Telefono Azzurro. The hearing concluded with support from all organizations present for the establishment of a Permanent European Child-Friendly Forum. This would be held at the headquarters of the EESC on an annual basis, with the personal backing of the Committee president, Mr Göke Frerichs. It was an initiative which would help key players pool their experience and make joint suggestions. The discussions also revealed a broad consensus on a number of issues. On the question of promoting genuinely child-friendly justice, participants stressed the need for legal instruments to protect children's rights (e.g. better protection for children from adults who might re-offend). Concerning the situation of children growing up in urban environments, a number of speakers - including representatives of UNICEF and Kind in Samenleving - agreed on developing the idea of child-friendly cities in Europe (including the child-friendly school, better neighborhood facilities for children, civic and social activity, etc.) and also involving young people in the decision-making processes in the cities in which they live.
For more information consult European Economic and Social Committee website.

Link:
URL http://www.esc.eu.int/pages/en/acs/events/06_02_child_1st/children_25_06_02_en.htm

Contact

European Economic and Social Committee

Local Rule: Decentralization and Human Rights

ISBN 2 940259 34 8
2002

Local governments run services that are vital to the quality of people's lives: schools, health centres and hospitals, water supply, sanitation, roads, street lighting, local policing, settlement of land and family disputes. To promote development, and strengthen democracy, in recent years numerous governments have reformed local-tier authorities and strengthened their powers. Development and governance experts have studied decentralization extensively. Its influence on human rights, by contrast, has received little attention. This short report argues that local government officials and human rights advocates should think more seriously about the links between local government and human rights. Drawing on seven case studies - Russia, Mali, Uganda, the Philippines, Chile, India and Burkina Faso - it identifies some of the key issues and suggests that adopting a human rights approach might make decentralization efforts more successful.

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PDF localrule.pdf 448, KB Full document

Link:
URL http://www.ichrp.org/

Contact

International Council on Human Rights Policy
48, chemin du Gran-Montfleury, P.O. Box 147
Versoix, Geneva 1290,
Telephone: (41) 22 7753300
Fax: (41) 22 7753303
Email: ichrp@international-council.org
Website: http://www.ichrp.org

International Council on Human Rights Policy
48, chemin du Gran-Montfleury, P.O. Box 147
Versoix, Geneva 1290,
Telephone: (41) 22 7753300
Fax: (41) 22 7753303
Email: ichrp@international-council.org
Website: http://www.ichrp.org