Building Child Friendly Cities in the MENA region
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Abstract
The notion of Child Friendly Cities (CFCs) was first developed during the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (HABITAT II), held in Istanbul in 1996. The concept is based on four general principles of the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child: (1) fair treatment of every child, regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion, socioeconomic background etc.; (2) top priority of the best interests of the child; (3) the child’s right to a better life and development; and (4) respect of children’s views. In a CFC, children are encouraged to take part in the decision making processes that affect their lives. Instead of starting yet another programme for children, the development of a CFC mobilises and connects existing agencies and actors. Giving examples of some cities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, this paper demonstrates that building CFCs has induced the development of mechanisms and structures which have enabled cities to address children’s issues in a systematic manner. These mechanisms and structures include: a municipal child-friendly legal framework, local development councils and NGO networks and local municipal development offices. The author argues that in building CFCs, the role of municipal authorities is indispensable in responding to the needs of children and young people within the municipalities’ mandates.
Keywords
Child Friendly Cities Rights of the child Children’s participation Municipalities and local authorities MENA regionRésumé
Créer des Villes amies des enfants dans la région MENA – La notion de Ville amie des enfants (Child Friendly Cities, CFC) a émané de la deuxième Conférence des Nations Unies sur les établissements humains (HABITAT II) tenue à Istamboul en 1996. Ce concept repose sur quatre grands principes énoncés dans la Convention internationale des droits de l’enfant : (1) le traitement équitable de chaque enfant, indépendamment de toute considération de sexe, de religion, de son origine ethnique ou sociale, etc.; (2) la priorité absolue accordée à l’intérêt supérieur de l’enfant; (3) l’obligation d’assurer la survie et le développement de l’enfant; et (4) le respect des opinions de l’enfant. Dans une Ville amie des enfants, ces derniers sont incités à participer aux prises de décision qui les concernent. Au lieu d’amorcer un énième programme pour enfants, l’instauration d’une Ville amie des enfants mobilise et connecte les agences et acteurs existants. Citant en exemple plusieurs villes de la région Moyen-Orient et Afrique du Nord (MENA), l’auteur démontre que la création de Villes amies des enfants favorise la mise en place de mécanismes et de structures qui permettent aux villes de traiter de manière systématique les questions concernant les enfants. Ces mécanismes et structures sont entre autres : un cadre juridique municipal favorable aux enfants, des comités de développement local et des réseaux d’ONG, ainsi que des services municipaux de développement local. L’auteur défend l’avis que dans la création d’une Ville amie des enfants, le rôle des autorités municipales est indispensable pour répondre aux besoins des enfants et des adolescents dans le cadre des tâches municipales.
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