Initiatives

[Past initiative] The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) Child Friendly Cities initiative began in 2005 when, on the recommendation of the Mayor of Amman, the Executive Agency for a Child Friendly City (EACFC) was created to improve the quality of programmes offered to children in greater Amman. That same year, a policy document entitled “Greater…, COUNTRY FACTS, Population:, 7,595,000, Pop. under 18:, 3,160,000, CONTACT, Dina Al Jamal, Chief of Youth and Adolescents Development Section United Nations Children’s Fund Jordan Country Office P.O.Box: 940043 Amman 11194 – Jordan [email protected]  , RESOURCES, Youth engagement introduction [PDF], Ammam: CFCI Project Summary [PDF] UNICEF Life Skills Programme - Summary (Arabic/English) [PDF] Jeel 962 Concept Note [PDF] Jeel 962 Introductory Document English [PDF] Jeel 962 Overview Presentation English [PDF]  , Jordan's child-friendly cities, 1 Recognised Municipality, • Greater Amman Municipality (GAM)

[Past initiative], In Kazakhstan, as in any large and developed country in the world, many current development trends are relevant: rapid urbanization, growing local government responsibilities in the context of decentralized government and growing importance of cities and towns in the country’s political and economic systems. To safeguard the interests of every…, RESOURCES, Methodology of implementation of CFCI in Kazakhstan Study of the friendliness of Almaty city to children Forum Almaty, a city for children, 2019, LIST OF CHILD-FRIENDLY CITIES IN KAZAKHSTAN, PARTICATING & RECOGNIZED CHILD-FRIENDLY CITIES & REGIONS, Participating cities and regions:, • Pavlodar city • Aksu city, Pavlodar region • Oskemen city • Semey city • Kurchatov city • Aktobe city • Shymkent city • Kostanai city • Karaganda city • Saran city • Satpayev city • Balkhash city • Osakarovskyi rayon, Karaganda region • Abai rayon, Karaganda region • Aktau city • Atyrau city • Kokshetau city • Stepnogorsk city • Tekeli city •…, CFC recognition:, • Nurinskiy rayon, Karaganda region • Almaly rayon, Almaty city • Kyzylorda city • Ekibastuz city • Astana city, Number of children reached:, 2,170,000

[Past initiative], UNICEF Kyrgyzstan launched the Youth and Child Friendly Local Governance (YCHFLG) programme in January 2017. Since then, UNICEF has worked with 18 urban and 24 rural municipalities to introduce child- and youth-friendly governance practices and service delivery. YCFLG seeks to strengthen governments role in child and youth well-being at the level…, LIST OF CHILD-FRIENDLY CITIES IN KYRGYZSTAN, 46 CHILD-FRIENDLY MUNICIPALITIES, Cities Bishkek Karabalta Tokmok Naryn Balykchy Karakol Talas Karabalta Kara-Kul Tashkomur Kerben Kochkor-Ata Jalalabad Uzgen Osh Kara-Su Kadamzhai Batken Isfana Kyzyl-Kiya Tashkomur Kerben Kochkor-Ata Villages Kashkar- Kyshtak Gulistan Zhany-Nookat Alla-Annarov Tepe- Korgon Suzak Kurmanbek Bagysh Yrys Kyzyl-Tou Tash-Bulak Ugut Sary Bulak Kara-Bura…

UNICEF Malaysia started advocating for CFCI in 2018 and the initiative has gained a strong momentum in the past few years. Petaling Jaya was the first city in Malaysia to adopt the CFCI, and  became the first Malaysian city to achieve the Candidate City status in 2022. In October 2023, Petaling Jaya was recognized as the first UNICEF Child…, between local governments, the private sector, civil society organizations and communities. CFCI offers an inclusive and comprehensive approach by using a proven methodology to identify and describe the challenges that involve all segments of the community. CFCI is also seen as a catalytic entry point in the following three key areas: data and…, to social wellbeing and participatory governance. CFCI was included in Malaysia’s Programme Strategy Note (PSN) 2022-2025, where it is stated that through the CFCI and in collaboration with wider UN engagements on sustainable urban planning and development, UNICEF will work with the Ministry of Federal Territories, the Ministry of Local Government…, COUNTRY FACTS, Population, : 32,651.600, Pop. under 18, : 9,191.400, CONTACT, Juanita VASQUEZ ESCALLON, Chief of Social Policy UNICEF Malaysia Level 10, Menara PJH, No. 2, Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, Precinct 2, 62100, Putrajaya, Malaysia [email protected], LINKS, UNICEF Malaysia website, RESOURCES, Action Plan - CFCI in Petaling Jaya City Situation Analysis - CFCI in Petaling Jaya City  , List of child friendly cities in Malaysia, 1 recognized Child Friendly City, Petaling Jaya, 5 cities with memorandum of understanding, Miri Kuching South Kuching North Sibu Padawan

Coming soon

[Past initiative] The Child Friendly Communities initiative in Malawi is set to launch in two districts in the second quarter of 2021. The initiative is implemented together with the Ministry of Local Government which provides overall guidance on the implementation of the initiative at the local level. The initiative is informed by the Convention…, COUNTRY FACTS, Population:, 17,563,749 (2018), Pop. under 18:, 8,236,000 (2018 estimate), CONTACTS, Matteo FRONTINI, Chief Community Development and Resilience, [email protected] Elton EDWARD, Local Governance and Decentralization Specialist, [email protected] Community Development and Resilience Section UNICEF Malawi Mantino Complex, Area 40/31, Lilongwe 3 Lilongwe, Malawi, LINK, Child-Friendly Communities | UNICEF Malawi, RESOURCES, UNICEF Local Governance Work in Malawi [PDF] Strategy Note - Child Friendly Inclusive Resilient Communities [docx] District Development Plan Process [PDF]

The Child Friendly Community model was piloted in Khuvsgul province and the Nalaikh district of the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar, as part of UNICEF’s country programme 2012-2016. The programme cycle consisted of a situation analysis, planning, implementation and evaluation. The initial assessment of the situation of children and Multiple…, COUNTRY FACTS, Population: 3,447,157 Pop. under 18: 1,245,955, CONTACT, Munkhtuul Batbaatar, Chief Social Policy [email protected] United Nations Children’s Fund UN House, United Nations Street-14 Ulaanbaatar 14201 Mongolia, LINKS, UNICEF Mongolia website

[Past initiative], The Cidades Sustentáveis Amigas das Crianças (Sustainable Child Friendly Cities) initiative in Mozambique was launched in June 2017 in seven municipalities: Maganja da Costa, Manjacaze, Maputo (capital city), Montepuez, Quelimane, Pemba and Ribaué. The initiative is led by UNICEF in collaboration with ANAMM (National Association of Municipalities…, COUNTRY FACTS, Population:, 28,829,000, Pop. under 18:, 14,929,000, CONTACT, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Av do Zimbabwe 1440, Maputo, Mozambique (+258) 21 481 100, RESOURCES, Brochura Cidade Amiga [PDF], Regulamento - Cidades Sustentaveis Amigas da Crianca [PDF], LIST OF CHILD-FRIENDLY CITIES IN MOZAMBIQUE, 7 RECOGNIZED CHILD-FRIENDLY CITIES, MUNICIPALITIES, • Maganja da Costa • Manjacaze • Maputo • Montepuez • Pemba • Quelimane • Ribaué

[Past initiative], In 2016/17, through the Child-Friendly Municipalities project, the Norwegian Committee for UNICEF conducted a mapping among children, parents and leaders of leisure activities for children and young people in the region of Kongsberg, spanning seven municipalities. The intention was to identify the respondents’ views of childhood conditions in the…, Contact, Marthe S. Engedahl Focal point CFCI Legal Adviser [email protected]

The Child Friendly Municipalities Initiative (Municipios Amigos de la Niñez y la Adolescencia) in Paraguay was first implemented in 2018-2019 in four pilot municipalities. Recently, the programme has been re-launched with a continuous flow of applications and evaluation of candidate cities, starting its implementation at the end of 2022 with five…, COUNTRY FACTS, Population:, 7,353,038, Pop. under 18:, 2,472,346, CONTACTS, Maria Lilia Robledo Verna, Social Policy Officer (Social Protection), [email protected] Gustavo Rojas, Social Inclusion Officer, [email protected] UNICEF Paraguay Avda. Aviadores del Chaco 2050, Edificio World Trade Center, torre 1, piso 4 Asunción PY 1806, Asunción, Paraguay, LINKS, Municipios Amigos de la Niñez y la Adolescencia Website, RESOURCES, Lanzamiento del programa Amigos de la Niñez y la Adolescencia Grabacion Municipios Amigos [mp4], Art icle on Municipios Amigos de la Niñez y la Adolescencia, List of child friendly cities in Paraguay, 5 cities & communities participating in 2022-2023 CFCI cycle, Santa Rosa del Aguaray Fernando de la Mora San Juan Nepomuceno Mariscal Estigarribia Ciudad del Este Embedded video follows Embedded video follows Embedded video follows

The Miasto Przyjazne Dzieciom (Child Friendly City) initiative in Poland was launched in September 2017 in the city of Gdynia, a city located on the coast of the Baltic Sea. The overall aim of the initiative in Poland is to engage all of society in implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and to encourage and enable children and…, strengthen local municipal governance for children, . This includes implementing a child-friendly legal framework; assessing the situation of children; developing an Action Plan for Children; setting up a coordinating mechanism in local government to ensure priority is given to children’s issues; and assessing the impact of law, policy and practice on children. Priority areas include early…, to raise awareness of and promote child rights among adults and children, . This includes listening to children’s views and taking them into consideration when decisions are made on issues that affect them. The key role is played by taking actions to strengthen the existing tools of children’s participation in the city and creating conditions for the implementation of new solutions. It is particularly encouraged to…, to use strategic partnerships to engage all members of society in building a child-friendly environment, . This entails building broad platforms for cooperation between the media, civil society, and private sector. Since launch of Miasto Przyjazne Dzieciom initiative, it has grown to include collaboration with 13 cities that vary in size, population, and financial capacity. In each city, the initiative will be reviewed every two years. CFCI Poland…, COUNTRY FACTS, Population:, 37,908,000, Pop. under 18:,  6,992,700, CONTACT, Iwona Przybyla MPD/CFC Coordinator in Poland  [email protected] Polish Committee for UNICEF ul. Powązkowska 44C 01-797 Warszawa Poland, LINKS, CFCI website in Poland UNICEF Poland website, List of child friendly cities in Poland, 4 recognized cities, 4 recognized cities, Gdynia Sopot Torun Konin, 9 candidate cities, Kraków Poznań Grodzisk Mazowiecki Opole Kwidzyn Bydgoszcz Bielsko-Biała Bolesławiec Rybnik

The Programa Cidades Amigas das Crianças (Child Friendly Cities Programme) in Portugal was launched in 2015 by the Portuguese Committee for UNICEF. The initiative aims to contribute to the realization of children’s rights in the country and is designed to encourage adoption of public policies that promote the well-being of all citizens, and in…, Stage 1 – Application, Municipalities that are interested can apply to join the Programme through three steps: Fill in the online form available on the website ; Fill out the online checklist available on the website ; Attach to the form a letter of intent and commitment signed by the Mayor., Stage 2 – Formal joining the Programme, If the application is accepted, a Protocol of Collaboration is signed, which includes the obligations set out in the Programme., Stage 3 – Planning, In the six months following the signature of the Protocol, the municipality must submit information to the Portuguese Committee for UNICEF which includes: The Mechanism for the Coordination of the Programme locally; Local Strategy for the Rights of the Child; Annual Local Action Plan. At this stage, the municipality has the status of “Child…, Stage 4 – Evaluation, After 12 months of implementation of the Annual Local Action Plan, the municipality must submit a Report containing: Evaluation of the previous year (12 months of intervention); The Annual Local Action Plan for the following 12 months. This process is repeated annually during the four years of the Local Strategy for the Rights of the Child.…, Stage 5 – Recognition, Recognition is granted to the municipality after a technical analysis of the Evaluation Report, in particular the targets and a positive evaluation of the of the results, showing concrete changes in the lives of children in the municipality. The results should be measured against the baseline values defined in the Annual Local Action Plan., Stage 6 – Renewal, At the end of each four-year cycle, in order for the recognition to be renewed, the municipality may restart the process by submitting A new letter of intent and commitment signed by the Mayor of the Municipality; A new Local Strategy for the Rights of the Child; A new Annual Local Action Plan. The information to be presented by the municipality…, COUNTRY FACTS, Population:, 10.467.366, Pop. under 18:, 1.765.662, Number of children reached, : 517 506 , CONTACT, Teresa CAPITÃO and Mónica PACHECO UNICEF Portugal Av. Barbosa du Bocage, 87 – 6.º 1050-030 Lisbon PORTUGAL [email protected], LINKS, Programa Cidades Amigas das Crianças, List of child friendly cities in Portugal, 12 recognized cities, Cascais Fornos de Algodres Funchal Guimarães Lisboa Madalena do Pico Ponte de Sor Porto Póvoa de Lanhoso Seia Torres Novas Vila Verde, 19 candidates cities, Albergaria-a-Velha Braga Celorico da Beira Chamusca Esposende Fafe Fundão Marco de Canaveses Mêda Monção Ourém Ovar Penafiel Pombal Praia da Vitória Valongo Vila Franca de Xira Vila Nova de Famalicão Vila Nova de Gaia