Municipalities play crucial role in protecting child rights and local social programmes tailored to children and their families are pivotal, UNICEF says

Tbilisi, Georgia, 1 June 2025. UNICEF Georgia congratulates all children on Child Protection Day in Georgia – the day dedicated to the well-being and safety of children.    

This year, UNICEF is emphasizing the importance of child-focused social programming for the wellbeing of children as it addresses their unique needs and developmental stages. These programs provide essential support in areas such as education, health, and social protection, fostering a safe and nurturing environment.  

Focusing on children in social programming is essential as the needs of children should be met at all stages of their development, including early years, when children are particularly vulnerable to adverse experiences. Child-focused initiatives ensure that developmental milestones are met, provide protection and support to children and their families, and promote equity and inclusion. These programmes yield long-term societal benefits by fostering healthy, educated, and productive adults, and they take a preventive approach to address issues early, reducing the need for more intensive interventions later. By investing in social programmes, we can address issues like poverty, deprivation, abuse, and neglect, ensuring that every child has access to the resources they need to thrive.  

Municipalities are at the forefront of protecting child rights. They have the unique ability to identify vulnerabilities at an early stage and implement and oversee local initiatives that directly impact children's lives. Municipalities can:

• Develop and Fund Local Programmes: By allocating resources to needs-based child-focused programmes, municipalities can ensure that children have access to quality education, healthcare, social protection and safe spaces.
• Create Safe Environments: Municipalities can enforce regulations that protect children from harm, such as safe school zones, child-friendly public spaces, and robust child welfare services.
• Engage Communities: By fostering community involvement, especially of adolescents and youth, municipalities can create a supportive network that watches over and advocates for children's rights. Community engagement ensures that the voices of children and their families are heard and addressed.
• Collaborate with Organizations: Partnering with social service providers, schools, kindergartens, academia, and healthcare providers allows municipalities to leverage expertise and resources, creating a comprehensive support system for children.

The initiative responds to the new role of municipalities defined by the Code on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 2019. Based on the Code, Georgian municipalities are granted a significant role in child protection and support. This role is two-fold: firstly, municipalities should be able to identify families and children in need and support them through social work and social services that are available in the community; secondly, municipalities should also be able to identify social needs in the community related to children and their families and address them by developing child-centred social programmes.

UNICEF Georgia has been working closely with local authorities to tailor child-sensitive needs-based social programmes that meet the needs of the most vulnerable families and offer a supportive foundation for breaking the vicious cycle of inter-generational child poverty and ensuring that every child can reach their full potential.