Initiatives
Explore Child Friendly Cities initiatives around the world
Does Living in a Child Friendly City Improve Children’s Lives?
Does Living in a Child Friendly City Improve Children’s Lives?
21 May 2025 - The wellbeing of children and adolescents has declined since the pandemic, even in the wealthiest countries. In Spain, child poverty rates remain among the highest in Europe. In this context, the Child Friendly Cities initiative offers a framework to uphold children’s rights. Implemented in 321 local authorities across Spain, the…, impact evaluation, covering the period 2012–2023, conducted by KSNET. The aim was to assess and compare changes in municipalities that are part of the network with those that are not. “ One in every two children in Spain lives in a Child Friendly City. The potential for impact is enormous. We felt it was important to understand the real effect on children’s lives…, Impact, Design and Implementation Evaluations, “ What difference does it make for a child to live in a Child Friendly City? ” asked María Ángeles Espinosa from IUNDIA. “ We had many indicators, but we now wanted quantitative data to empirically demonstrate improvements in children’s wellbeing. That’s what this evaluation provides .” The study was structured around three areas: impact and…, Governance and a Rights-Based Approach, One of the most notable findings is that Child Friendly Cities are more likely to implement child-focused policies than non-participating municipalities. Tucat noted greater integration of children’s rights in key public policies, including safe school mobility, child mental health, and inclusion of children with disabilities. Regarding efficiency…, Progress on the Five Core Objectives of the Initiative, The Right to Be Valued, Respected and Treated Fairly, 75% of children in Child Friendly Cities feel they are treated fairly. Nearly 70% believe their local authorities are making efforts to support the most vulnerable. There has been a steady increase in adapted sports programmes for children with disabilities (+2.4 points per year)., The Right to Be Heard, All Child Friendly Cities have child participation bodies, compared to just 27% of non-recognised municipalities. However, only one in four children fully agrees that their local council listens to them and explains how their input is used. This can lead to frustration, often due to bureaucratic constraints and lack of staff, especially in smaller…, The Right to Essential Services, This area shows the most progress: 87.4% of local authorities report that all children have access to quality services. Notable achievements include increased enrolment in early childhood education (ages 0–3) and expanded mental health services for children and adolescents., The Right to Live in Safe and Clean Environments, Seven in ten Child Friendly Cities believe their children live in safe and clean environments. Longer participation in the initiative correlates with more children feeling safe and with more schools implementing pedestrian safety measures., The Right to Family Life, Play and Leisure, 76.7% of local authorities report that children enjoy this right, and 82% believe children can participate in the social and cultural life of their municipality., Are Child Friendly Cities Transforming Children’s Lives?, To answer the question that inspired the study, Tucat was clear: “ We believe the answer is yes. Challenges remain — particularly around inclusion and resources — but there has been significant progress in capacity building and positive impacts across various dimensions of children’s rights. ” He added that UNICEF Spain’s initiative has been…
Denver Joins UNICEF’s Child Friendly Cities Initiative
Denver Joins UNICEF’s Child Friendly Cities Initiative
April 7, 2025, - The City and County of Denver, led by the Office of Children’s Affairs (OCA), is proud to officially announce its partnership with UNICEF USA by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to begin its estimated three-year journey toward recognition as a UNICEF Child Friendly City . Through the Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI), Denver…, ABOUT The Office of Children’s Affairs, Since 1995, the Denver Office of Children’s Affairs has worked to help young people thrive by coordinating services, fostering community partnerships, and supporting children and youth from prenatal care through age 24, along with their families, community organizations, and service providers. By connecting communities, government agencies, and…, For more information please contact:, Nina Marie Costa, , Public Relations Director, UNICEF USA, [email protected], Zeynep Cavusoglu, , Public Relations Associate, UNICEF USA,, , [email protected]
Decatur Achieves Child Friendly City Recognition in the United States
Decatur Achieves Child Friendly City Recognition in the United States
21 March 2025, – The City of Decatur has been officially recognized as a UNICEF Child Child Friendly City – the third in the U.S. following Houston, Texas and Minneapolis, Minnesota. This milestone celebrates the successful implementation of Decatur’s Local Action Plan for Youth , developed in 2022-23 by the city’s Teen Leadership Team, which comprised 30 high…, Mayor Patti Garrett, . “ My hope is that we as city leaders will continue to listen to youth voices and that those who serve as Decatur Youth representatives will inspire others to participate ." Decatur CFCI recognition - Mar 25 UNICEF USA CEO Michael Nyenhuis presents Decatur’s Mayor Garrett with a certificate recognizing Decatur as a UNCIEF Child Friendly City “ We…, UNICEF USA President & CEO, Michael J. Nyenhuis, . “ UNICEF USA is proud to celebrate the dedication of the Decatur community to support youth involvement and include them in city decision making and initiatives that will have a lasting impact for generations to come .” Through the CFCI Framework for Action, Decatur, along with community partners City Schools of Decatur, Decatur Education…
Beyond the playground: repurposing urban spaces
Beyond the playground: repurposing urban spaces
Best practice - Play & leisure, In 2023, Cardiff became the first UNICEF Child Friendly City in the UK. , During its journey to recognition, Cardiff Council prioritised play by running its play street scheme, closing residential streets to traffic for a few hours a month to allow children to play close to home. Yet with children suddenly restricted to the few streets around them during the pandemic, the council decided to take play streets one step…
Prioritising play
Prioritising play
Best practice - Play & leisure, In the London Borough of Redbridge, where the council is being supported by the Child Friendly Cities & Communities programme to reach thousands of children to hear what they want changed in their local area, play consistently tops the list. This is as true for the borough’s youngest children as it is for older age groups, who frame play as “…
Learning by playing
Learning by playing
Best practice - Play & leisure, On 1 June 2024, more than 130 boys and girls from the Local Children's and Adolescents' Councils of the Valencian Community met in La Pobla de Farnals (Spain) for the, 8th Regional Meeting of Children's Local Councils, to claim their, right to play, and reflect on the links with non-discrimination, climate action and protection against violence for children and adolescents. To design the Regional Meeting,, a committee of two boys and girls from each of the 12 participating municipalities, was created. The work of this committee, from February to June, began with an internal consultation process in each local council: the boys and girls elected as representatives of their council were in charge of collecting the opinions of their council members and sharing them at the meetings of the committee. In that space, they worked to find…, What topic did they want to discuss? What type of activities did they want to develop? How did they want to present and spread their conclusions?, As a result, boys and girls decided that they wanted the Regional Meeting to be an opportunity to claim for their, right to play, and, at the same time, to serve as a tool to reflect on other issues that concern them:, climate action, non-discrimination and protection against violence, . For an entire morning,, children and adolescents occupied public space, , a good part of it usually designated for car parking and road traffic,, and actively exercised a key right: play, . Through the different games proposed, and designed with adaptations that allowed reflection and debate, children expressed their opinions on issues such as what to do in situations of bullying, how the climate crisis affects them, how to resolve conflicts, the respect to different cultures and the importance of child participation. After a…, manifesto, and will be published, soon. In addition,, boys and girls, expressed the will during the design phase of the Meeting that , to “leave a mark”, on this day in the municipality. Therefore the host town proposed a closing workshop to share all the proposals in a plenary session and to look for different slogans that would summarize them. Once these slogans were agreed upon, children worked as a team to create a total, , of, eight cement tiles, with their footprint and their messages, which will be placed in one of the main squares of the town, , with the purpose of spreading what happened there on June 1st and letting know all citizens what the concerns and proposals of the children and adolescents are.
Andorra
Andorra
The Parròquies Amigues de la Infància (Child Friendly Parishes) initiative in Andorra was launched in 2013. Unlike in other countries, in Andorra this Child Friendly Cities initiative is implemented at the regional level. As of 2023, all the seven parishes in the country are involved in the initiative, reaching almost 14,000 children, making a…, COUNTRY FACTS, Population:, 79,500, Pop. under 18:, 14,000, CONTACT, Andorran National Committee for UNICEF C/Prat de la Creu, 59-65, Esc. B 4a 3K AD500 Andorra la Vella, Andorra [email protected], LINKS, UNICEF Andorra website CFCI Andorra website, List of child friendly cities in Andorra, 7 Parishes with child friendly recognition, • Andorra la Vella • Canillo • Encamp • Escaldes-Engordany • La Massana • Ordino • Sant Julià de Lòria CFCI Andorra CFCI Andorra CFCI Andorra
Austria
Austria
The Kinderfreundliche Gemeinden (Child Friendly Communities) initiative in Austria has been active since 2013. The objective of the initiative and the Child Friendly Community recognition is to underline the importance of making child-friendly decisions at the local level, where children are most affected. The Austrian Child Friendly Communities…, Gabersdorf – the first recognized child-friendly municipality in Austria, The municipality of Gabersdorf in Styria was the first to be recognized as a ”child-friendly community” by UNICEF Austria. Harmonious relationships between the generations are a top priority in Gabersdorf. Mayor Franz Hierzer expressed his satisfaction with the community’s development of needs-based measures: ”The audit process is an innovative…, Child-friendly politics & administration: , Contact person for youth in the municipal administration or local council, who represents and advocates for youth with decision makers in the community and the local council., Health:, Tailor-made sport and fitness opportunities for girls including Zumba, HipHop and a fitness trail., Leisure:, Improvement of the holiday leisure programme through a ”holiday pass” which promotes and expands offers on leisure activities as well as the establishment of a new space for youth accompanied by a youth worker., Family and school care:, Planning and construction of a day nursery., Education: , Expansion of education and leisure opportunities through lectures and courses: more attractive possibilities for further education, for parents for example, in the community., Safety:, Increased speed controls to reduce the risk of traffic accidents. CFCI Kronstorf Primary School Kronstorf, COUNTRY FACTS, Population:, 9,198,214, Pop. under 18:, 1,579,919, Source:, Statistik Austria (February 2025), CONTACT, Julia Woegerbauer, Specialist “Child Friendly Communities” - [email protected] UNICEF Austria Mariahilfer Straße 176/10, A-1150 Vienna Austria, LINKS, Austrian National Committee for UNICEF – Child Friendly Communities Familie und Beruf Management GmbH, List of child friendly cities in Austria, 288 recognized child friendly cities, Absdorf Alland Alpbach Altendorf Altenmarkt an der Triesting Altenmarkt bei Sankt Gallen Althofen Ampflwang im Hausruckwald Amstetten Ansfelden Arriach Aschau im Zillertal Aschbach-Markt Ausservillgraten Bach Bad Erlach Bad Fischau-Brunn Bad Hofgastein Bad Vigaun Bad Vöslau Bad Zell Blumau-Neurißhof Böheimkirchen Breitenbach am Inn Brixen im Thale…
Belarus
Belarus
UNICEF first launched the Child Friendly Cities initiative in Belarus in 2007. Since then, it has expanded widely around the country to bring an explicit child focus to the traditional, adult-oriented local governance system. 30 cities to date have joined the initiative including the capital, Minsk, as well as 4 regional centres, such as Homiel,…, COUNTRY FACTS, Population:, 9,302,585, Pop. under 18:, 1,847,711, CONTACT, Victoria LOZUYK, HIV/AIDS Specialist, [email protected] United Nations Children’s Fund 22a Krasnoarmeyskaya Street, offices 76-77, Minsk 220030 Belarus, LINK, detivgorode.by, RESOURCES, Story:, My dobrus Methodology for calculating the CFC index [PDF] CFCI assessment final report [PDF], List of child friendly cities in Belarus, 24 recognized child friendly cities, Baranovichy Barysau Brest Dobrush Homiel Horki Hrodna Kastsyukovichy Lida Mahilyow Maladzechna Mazyr Minsk Navagrudak Navapolatsk Orsha Pinsk Polatsk Pruzhany Salihorsk Shklow Slutsk Vawkavysk Zhodzina, 6 candidate cities, Masty Braslau Vileyka Shchuchyn Svetlogorsk Babruysk
Belize
Belize
[Past initiative] The Sustainable and Child Friendly Municipalities initiative (SCFM), which started in 2014, is a collaboration between the Belize Mayors Association, the Ministry of Labour, Local Government and Rural Development, UNICEF and UNDP. The initiative was created to raise awareness and promote activities at the subnational level aimed…, COUNTRY FACTS, Population:, 359,000, Pop. under 18:, 140,000, CONTACT, Paulette Wade, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist UNICEF Belize [email protected], LINK, UNICEF Belize website, List of child friendly cities in Belize, 9 recognized child friendly cities, • Belize City • Belmopan • Benque Viejo del Carmen • Corozal • Dangriga • Orange Walk • Punta Gorda • Santa Elena/San Ignacio • San Pedro
Brazil
Brazil
#AgendaCidadeUNICEF, , #AgendaCidadeUNICEF is the initiative of UNICEF in Brazil to promote children’s rights while preventing and reducing violence against children and adolescents in urban centers. To achieve the established goals, #AgendaCidadeUNICEF will enhance public policies and work along with the municipalities. In the first edition 2022-2024, the initiative is…, To be part of a people’s movement, : #AgendaCidadeUNICEF is a movement of the cities, people, communities, private sector to strengthen the culture of inclusion, non-discrimination, and non-violence for Brazilian children and adolescents. #AgendaCidadeUNICEF aims to tackle the specific needs and challenges in the most vulnerable territories, looking for solutions and fostering the…, To be part of a city’s movement, : Heading to the 2030 Agenda and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), #AgendaCidadeUNICEF is mainly a movement, of, the cities and, for, the cities of Brazil for children and adolescents. The 8 capitals cities are the key-elements for a community of solutions to share lessons-learned and practical interventions to implement children’s rights in Brazil, and at the same time they are members of the world commitment to build cities protecting children and adolescents while promoting…, UNICEF SEAL (Selo UNICEF), , The UNICEF Seal is an initiative to promote the rights of children and adolescents in Brazil – reaching in the 2021-2024 edition 2,023 municipalities in the Amazon and Semiarid regions, where over 15 million boys and girls live. Implemented since 1999, UNICEF Seal has been supporting the guarantee of rights, advocating for equality, and…, 7 Systemic Results: , Early Childhood Development Education for All Hygiene Habits and Access to Water Assured for Children and Adolescents At School Education Opportunities, Work and Professional Training for Adolescents and Youth Comprehensive Development, Mental Health and Well-being of Children and Adolescents in the second decade of life Prevention and…, COUNTRY FACTS, Population:, 213,317,639, Pop. under 18:, 53,273,898, Pop. under 18 in the 8 cities of #AgendaCidadeUNICEF:, 7,248,649, CONTACTS, #AgendaCidadeUNICEF, Rosana Vega, Agenda Cidade UNICEF Coordinator and Chief of Child Protection, [email protected], UNICEF SEAL (Selo UNICEF), Brasilia:, Mario Volpi, UNICEF Seal National Coordinator and Chief of the Adolescent and Youth Development Programme, [email protected], Amazon Territory:, Ida Oliveira, Communication Specialist, [email protected], Semiarid Territory:, Bruno Viecili, Communication Specialist , [email protected], LINKS, UNICEF Brazil selounicef.org.br, RESOURCES, UNICEF Seal’s Methodological Guide – 2021-2024, UNICEF Seal’s Community Forums Guide, UNICEF Seal’s Adolescents Participation Guide, List of municipalities enrolled in Brazil, 8 municipalities enrolled in #AgendaCidadeUNICEF, Belem Fortaleza Manaus Recife Rio de Janeiro Salvador São Paulo São Luís , 2,023 municipalities enrolled in SEAL UNICEF, AMAZON REGION, : 676 municipalities enrolled, SEMI-ARID REGION, : 1,347 municipalities enrolled See the complete list on https://www.selounicef.org.br/participantes-2021-2024 CFCI Brazil
