UNICEF India head bats for developing child-friendly cities

Ahmedabad: UNICEF India head Cynthia McCaffery has stressed on developing cities that are safe, accessible and friendly for children and youth.

Clean air, green spaces and a safe environment benefit not only children but the entire community, McCaffrey said.

She participated in the Urban 20 (U20) Mayoral Summit held in Gujarat's Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad cities on July 7 and 8, as part of India's G20 presidency, where discussions were held on the future of cities of the world.

"More than 56 per cent of the population currently lives in urban areas. Estimates suggest that 70 per cent of the global population will live in cities by 2050, adding an additional 2.5 billion people to the urban population mostly in Asia and Africa. This means that there will be more than 1.6 billion children living in urban areas by 2050,” McCaffery said.

Every week, around 1.4 million people move to urban areas worldwide and many of the people will find themselves living in temporary and informal settlements, she said.

"The Urban 20 Mayoral Summit provides us an opportunity to build the foundation for inclusive cities that cater to the needs of all residents,” said the India head of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

“India has done two things. They are discussing how to make cities safe and friendly for children and youth and they are involving technologies for the same,” she told PTI in a telephonic interaction, while replying to a query on what Indian cities are doing to make them children-friendly.

The increasing livelihood migration is a reality. Children constitute a large proportion of those moving into cities, the official said.

When transitioning from their rural to urban settings, these children may often find themselves living in isolated and informal settlements without family and community support, she said.

“A child responsive urban planning is therefore required to fill the gaps in services and cater to the specific needs of these children. There is an urgency to put special focus on the wellbeing of vulnerable children living in urban areas,” McCaffrey said.

“To achieve inclusive urban planning, it is vital to actively involve women, youth and children. We must establish platforms and mechanisms that empower them to share their ideas, perspectives and concerns,” she said.

This involves engaging them in meaningful consultations, including them in decision-making processes, incorporating their feedback into policies and programmes, and setting aside dedicated funds for the well-being of children, youth and women, she added.

Describing what should be done to make cities children-friendly, she said an environment needs to be built for the holistic development of children who are our future.

Key domains that play a central role for children's holistic development and well-being in our cities and urban spaces are the built environment, houses, schools and open areas with proper wash facilities.

"Spaces for recreation and direct interaction, services and facilities such as child-sensitive health and social infrastructure and safety and mobility such as traffic safety, transport, and personal safety are required. An enabling environment that provides safety during natural disasters is also required,” the UNICEF India head said.

“One key mechanism to safeguarding the rights and wellbeing of children, youth and women is to focus on a sustained social protection system that serves as a safety net, such as providing financial assistance, healthcare, education and other essential social services for vulnerable populations,” she said.

Building sustainable social protection needs investments in interoperable and robust data system that helps in evidence-based decision making, inclusive planning and monitoring progress even if children are on the move, she said emphasizing on the importance of data on children.

McCaffrey said the government and city administrations can do much to ensure children-friendly cities.

She said, “Governments can enact and regulate laws and policies, amend municipal statutes that promote gender equality, youth empowerment, and child-friendly urban environments."

“Governments can also statutorily earmark budgets in Municipal Acts for social protection programmes, education, healthcare and infrastructure that benefit these children and other groups, she said.

The UNICEF is doing its bit, working with the government and municipal corporations in India to develop cities that are friendly for children, she added.