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UNICEF Calls for Commitment for Child-Friendly Municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sarajevo, 14. September 2012. - On the occasion of the October 2012 local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, UNICEF calls candidates and political parties to place children’s wellbeing in focus in their programs. UNICEF also invites voters, media professionals, civil society organizations and other actors to demand for the fulfillment of children’s rights.

Since the ratification by Bosnia and Herzegovina of the Convention on the Rights of a Child, many significant developments have been achieved but child rights have still not received the deserved attention in political programmes.

This is why UNICEF invites all municipal candidates and political parties to ensure their programs include the commitment to create and sustain an appropriate environment in order to become a child-friendly municipality in which all children have the opportunity to develop to their full potential. “Children have to be placed at the center of the political campaign. They represent the best investment to break the cycle of poverty. Municipal authorities have a key role to play by providing a protective and stimulating environment for the development of every child.” – said UNICEF Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina Florence Bauer. “Our commitment to children’s rights needs to be even stronger in difficult times of economic crisis, austerity and widespread poverty. Children are our present, and not just the future; they cannot wait for better times.” – added Ms. Bauer calling the political parties to focus their political programs towards fulfilling children’s rights.
UNICEF proposes the following steps to all political candidates in local elections and calls for the electorate, civil society and media to demand for the inclusion of these topics in the elections debates and programs and to follow-up with elected local leaders on their implementation.

 Provide adequate resources to achieve every child's rights to health, education, child and social protection.
 Support quality education for all, providing children with free school transportation, clean water and sanitation, heating and healthy school meals in all schools and pre-school institutions.
 Provide inclusive pre-school education to all children at least one year prior to enrolling in school.
 Provide resources for quality health services and mechanisms of timely identification of developmental disorders for all children, pregnant women and parents.
 Provide resources for early childhood development services targeted for children aged 0 to 3.
 Invest in programs and develop mechanisms for the protection of children from violence, neglect and abuse.
 Support quality programs for prevention of juvenile offences and violence.
 Establish mechanisms to monitor the situation of children, with a special focus on vulnerable groups of children.
 Establish mechanisms for and support active participation of youth and children in all decision-making processes relative to their rights.

UNICEF is supporting government bodies at all levels to improve municipal services for children. UNICEF will continue to work with children, parents, communities and decision makers to monitor children’s rights, build capacities of service providers and facilitate participation of young people in decision-making processes. UNICEF will organize debates In 11 municipalities, with children, parents and political candidates to steer the debate towards social issues related to children. In coming years, UNICEF will continue working with elected mayors and municipal assemblies to make sure children’s rights remain on the priority list.

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Leaflet - Child-Friendly Municipalities

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UNICEF poziva na predanost u kreiranju općina/opština po mjeri djeteta

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