What is the Child Friendly Cities Initiative?

The Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) is a UNICEF-led initiative that supports municipal governments in realizing the rights of children at the local level using the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as its foundation.

It is also a network that brings together government and other stakeholders such as civil society organizations, the private sector, academia, media and, importantly, children themselves who wish to make their cities and communities more child-friendly.

The initiative was launched in 1996 by UNICEF and UN-Habitat to act on the resolution passed during the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) to make cities liveable places for all. The UN Conference declared that the wellbeing of children is the ultimate indicator of a healthy habitat, a democratic society and of good governance.

See existing UNICEF Child Friendly Cities Initiatives
Child Friendly Cities Initiative
What is a child-friendly city?
Why build a child-friendly city?
Child Rights
Growing Cities
2030 Agenda

History of the CFCI

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  • <center><span style="color: #ffffff; background-color: #00afec; padding: 2px 8px 2px 8px; line-height: 2.5; ">1996</span><br /><span style="color: #374ea2;"><h4>Launch of CFCI</h4></span></center>

    The Child Friendly Cities Initiative is launched by UNICEF and UN-Habitat to act on the resolutions passed during the second UN Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II).

  • <center><span style="color: transparent; background-color: transparent; padding: 2px 8px 2px 8px; line-height: 2.5; ">1996</span><br /><span style="color:#374ea2;"><h4>A Movement Begins</h4></span></center>

    A movement of child-friendly municipalities begins to flourish in a number of low, middle and high-income countries, and an increasing number of cities promote and implement initiatives to realize child rights.

  • <center><span style="color: #ffffff; background-color: #00afec; padding: 2px 8px 2px 8px; line-height: 2.5; ">1998</span><br /><span style="color:#374ea2;"><h4>Activities Expand</h4></span></center>

    Municipalities increasingly express the need to share experiences and lessons learned. Informal exchanges gradually develop into regional and national networks that mobilize a wide range of partners including government bodies, civil society organizations, national and international agencies, experts and academic institutions, the private sector, media as well as child and youth groups.

  • <center><span style="color: #ffffff; background-color: #00afec; padding: 2px 8px 2px 8px; line-height: 2.5; ">2000</span><br /><span style="color:#374ea2;"><h4>CFC Secretariat Created</h4></span></center>

    The International Secretariat for Child Friendly Cities is created and hosted by UNICEF’s Office of Research – Innocenti in Florence to support knowledge exchange and facilitate research and analysis on the implementation of child rights at the local level. The Secretariat supports Child Friendly Cities work from Florence until 2011.

  • <center><span style="color: #ffffff; background-color: #00afec; padding: 2px 8px 2px 8px; line-height: 2.5; ">2004</span><br /><span style="color:#374ea2;"><h4>Framework for Action</h4></span></center>

    The original CFC Framework for Action is launched, outlining nine building blocks that make up a child-friendly city or community.

  • <center><span style="color: transparent; background-color: transparent; padding: 2px 8px 2px 8px; line-height: 2.5; ">2004</span><br /><span style="color:#374ea2;"><h4>Using the Framework</h4></span></center>

    Cities and communities around the world use the framework to inform their work on building child-friendly cities and communities. Some work directly with UNICEF, others use the framework as inspiration.

  • <center><span style="color: #ffffff; background-color: #00afec; padding: 2px 8px 2px 8px; line-height: 2.5; ">2008–2010</span><br /><span style="color:#374ea2;"><h4>Research and Tools</h4></span></center>

    A research initiative is designed to improve the self-assessment capacities of cities and communities as the basis for local planning, advocacy and community action to improve the living conditions of children. A set of self-assessment tools for local authorities and communities is developed by UNICEF and the Child Environments Research Group.

  • <center><span style="color: #ffffff; background-color: #00afec; padding: 2px 8px 2px 8px; line-height: 2.5; ">2016–2017</span><br /><span style="color:#374ea2;"><h4>Support Reinvigorated</h4></span></center>

    Support for the CFCI is reinvigorated at UNICEF headquarters with a stocktaking of Child Friendly Cities initiatives in National Committee countries, the launch of the Child Friendly Cities and Communities Initiative Toolkit for UNICEF National Committees and a new internal Community of Practice. The initiative is included in UNICEF’s global urban strategy.

  • <center><span style="color: #ffffff; background-color: #00afec; padding: 2px 8px 2px 8px; line-height: 2.5; ">2018</span><br /><span style="color:#374ea2;"><h4>Handbook and Website</h4></span></center>

    Launch of the UNICEF Child Friendly Cities and Communities Handbook with a framework for establishing a CFCI. Launch of the new Child Friendly Cities Initiative website with updated resources and examples.