TEHRAN – The city of Isfahan has been awarded the Child-Friendly City candidacy logo, representing Iran in the Child-Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI).

Launched in 1996, the CFCI is a UNICEF-led initiative that supports municipal governments in realizing the rights of children. 

As a first step, UNICEF Iran and the Ministry of Interior in cooperation with Isfahan Municipality held the First National Conference on Child-Friendly Cities on January 16-17, 2019 in Isfahan, where urban managers, CFCI focal points, and representatives from municipalities across the country joined the debate to discuss the potential of Child-Friendly Cities.

A child-friendly city (CFC) is committed to improving the lives of children within their jurisdiction by realizing their rights.

It is a city where children have a good start in life and grow up healthy and cared for, have access to quality social services, express their opinions and influence decisions that affect them, participate in family, cultural, and social life, live in a safe secure and clean environment with access to green spaces, and have a fair chance in life regardless of their religion, income, gender or ability.

Child-Friendly Cities is a relatively new concept in Iran, however, there is a long-standing tradition of child-friendly practices and initiatives. For instance, Tehran Municipality launched the School Mayor Initiative in 1993 which is still running today.

After the devastating 2003 earthquake in Bam, UNICEF, in collaboration with the Government, supported 110 children from 11 schools in Bam to develop a child-friendly neighborhood plan and created a child-friendly zone, which included the building of a child-friendly community center, school, and playgrounds in the city.

Many other ministries and organizations including the Municipalities and Rural Management Organization of Iran and the Office for Women and Family Affairs are supporting these efforts.

Iran is a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The country adhered to the Convention in September 1991 and ratified it on July 13, 1994.
Currently, Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and Amman in Jordan are the two cities in West Asia that have got the CFCI membership.

MG