Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia named one of world’s most child-friendly

Cologne/Kyiv. October 17, 2019. The Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia has been named one of the most child-friendly in the world after winning a prize at UNICEF’s prestigious International Child Friendly Cities Inspire Awards.

The award, launched by UNICEF this year, recognizes good, innovative and inspiring initiatives or projects that improve the rights and daily lives of children and young people in their home cities and communities.

Vinnytsia impressed judges by funding ideas for schools by local children, backing projects amounting to UAH 1 million.

The city was nominated in the category “Meaningful child participation”. In finals, it competed with cities from Vietnam, Germany, Croatia and Hungary. Eventually, the award came down to Vinnytsia and Ho Chi Min City in Vietnam.

To learn more about Vinnytsia’s initiative, please watch the video.

“We are thrilled to see Vinnytsia among the winning cities that embraced the Child Friendly Cities principles to make a difference in children’s lives,” says Lotta Sylwander, UNICEF Representative in Ukraine. “But we all know that inspiration is not enough. That listening to the children is not enough. They have a right to participate in the decisions that affect them.  They are asking the cities to learn from each other, using evidence, and greater measurability of progress made. So, as we celebrate these awards let’s plan to work in that direction as we move ahead globally and in Ukraine.”

All entries were reviewed and shortlisted by a technical expert panel according to the following four criteria: Demonstrated results, Creativity and innovation, Replicability, Conformity and integration of CFCI guiding principles.

The winners, across each of the six categories, represent important global innovations both for today and the future. The recipients of the 2019 Child Friendly Cities Inspire Awards are:

• Non-discrimination and equity:  Oviedo, Spain
• Meaningful child participation:  Vinnytsia (Ukraine) and Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam)
• Child friendly social services:  Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
• Secure, safe and clean environments:  Mislata, Spain
• Family life, play and leisure:  Kriens, Switzerland
• Child friendly governance:  Kopavogur, Iceland

The Awarding Ceremony took place on October 17 in Cologne during the first Global Child Friendly Cities Summit.

Notes to Editors:

The Child Friendly Cities Summit brings together more than 550 Mayors, local leaders, technical experts, children and young people from over 60 countries worldwide to discuss innovative approaches to enhance child rights at the local level.

It takes place against the backdrop of global trends like urbanization, digitalization, environmental change and mass migration increasingly affecting children and young people in their everyday lives.

Today, nearly a third of the 4 billion people living in cities are children. It is estimated that by 2050, almost 7 in 10 of the world’s children will live in cities – large, medium and small.

Since 1996 UNICEF’s Child Friendly Cities Initiative supports cities and communities worldwide to advance child rights at the local level. Today, the initiative reaches approximately 30 million children in 40 countries worldwide.

Existing Child Friendly Cities: https://childfriendlycities.org/initiatives/

About UNICEF

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org/ukraine. Follow UNICEF on Twitter and Facebook.

For more information, please contact:

Nina Sorokopud, UNICEF Ukraine, nsorokopud@unicef.org, +380 50 388 2951.