UNICEF Finland has recognised Helsinki as a Child Friendly City for the first time.
Helsinki applied to join the UNICEF Child Friendly Cities Initiative model based on a council initiative in 2021. The Child Friendly Cities Initiative is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The model identifies which areas of children’s rights the city needs to develop and defines what the city must do to ensure that children’s rights are realised as well as possible.
Helsinki’s goals for the first period of Child Friendly Cities Initiative were:
- Employees working with children and young people, such as early childhood educators, teachers as well as employees at youth services and child welfare, receive further education on children’s rights.
- Clear guidelines are in place to support the introduction and systematic implementation of child impact assessments in the city’s operations.
- Collecting feedback for the city’s services happens in a child-friendly, regular and systematic manner.
- Helsinki’s services aimed at children prevent bullying and promote a sense of community. Children’s social and emotional skills are promoted in children’s social environments.
- Children and young people’s sense of safety is strengthened in urban spaces by developing interaction.
According to UNICEF, Helsinki has achieved the goal of educating personnel about children’s rights. Helsinki has built a child impact assessments model for preparing decisions that is firmly based on children’s rights. As regards the goal of child-friendly feedback collection, the measures have mostly been implemented as planned. The city has also made progress in preventing bullying and promoting a sense of community. UNICEF considers that Helsinki has applied an innovative and child-oriented approach to enhance children and young people’s sense of safety, and these activities have included several successful pilots, but tangible results in safety cannot be confirmed due to the short time that has passed.
Among other things, UNICEF encourages Helsinki to henceforth give every city employee the opportunity to participate in training programmes on children’s rights as well as see that children's and young people's experience with participation expands in a way that includes their own local needs and wishes.
“We are happy to accept the Child Friendly City recognition. We want Helsinki to be a child-friendly city where every child and young person has the right to grow and develop safely. Every child is valuable, and children’s rights apply to all children. We will continue to work for children in cooperation with UNICEF,” says Mayor Juhana Vartiainen.
Helsinki is the first Nordic capital to receive this recognition. The recognition is valid for two years. The City of Helsinki will also continue its Child Friendly City work in accordance with the model in the coming two-year period. Helsinki’s Child Friendly City work is part of its promotion of health and welfare, as well as its Welfare Plan.
