The State of the World's Children 2012: Children in an Urban World

From the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), "The State of the World's Children 2012: Children in an Urban World" focuses mainly on those children in urban settings all over the world who face a particularly complex set of challenges to their development and the fulfilment of their rights. It covers issues such as sanitation, gangs, and governance, incorporating global trends and focusing on individual, concrete examples of positive practices in specific urban neighbourhoods. It outlines a variety of strategies being used to fulfill the needs and rights of children in these contexts, such as identifying and removing barriers to inclusion, ensuring children's participation, and fostering partnerships and networking.

Contents include:

• Chapter 1: Children in an Increasingly Urban World - "...[A] focus on equity is needed - one in which priority is given to the most disadvantaged children, wherever they live." Several requirements are outlined here, including:
  1. Improve understanding of the scale and nature of urban poverty and exclusion affecting children;
  2. Identify and remove the barriers to inclusion that prevent marginalised children and families from using services, expose them to violence and exploitation, and bar them from taking part in decision-making;
  3. Maintain a sharp focus on the particular needs and priorities of children in urban planning, infrastructure development, service delivery and broader efforts to reduce poverty and disparity. "The international Child-Friendly Cities Initiative provides an example of the type of consideration that must be given children in every facet of urban governance."
  4. Promote partnership between the urban economically poor and government at all its levels. "Urban initiatives that foster such participation - and in particular those that involve children and young people - report better results not only for children but also for their communities."
  5. Pool resources and energy amongst international, national, municipal, and community actors in support of the rights of marginalised and impoverished children growing up in urban environments.
• Chapter 2: Children's Rights in Urban Settings - Topics include: (i) health (child survival, immunisation, maternal and newborn health, breastfeeding, nutrition, respiratory illness, road traffic injuries, HIV and AIDS, and mental health); (ii) water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); (iii) education (early childhood development and primary education); and (iv) protection (child trafficking, child labour, and children living and working on the streets).
• Chapter 3: Urban Challenges - Topics include: migrant children, economic shocks, violence and crime, and disaster risk.
• Chapter 4: Towards Cities Fit for Children - Topics include: policy and collaboration, participatory urban planning and management, child-friendly cities, non-discrimination, nutrition and hunger, health, HIV and AIDS, WASH, education, child protection, housing and infrastructure, urban planning for children's safety, safe cities for girls, safe spaces for play, social capital, cultural inclusion, culture and arts, and technology.
• Chapter 5: Uniting for Children in an Urban World - Strategies outlined include: understand urban poverty and exclusion; remove the barriers to inclusion; put children first; promote partnership with the urban economically poor; work together to achieve results for children; and take action toward fairer cities.

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Click here for direct access to the report in PDF format.

Click here for direct access to the executive summary in PDF format.