Building Child-Friendly Cities from a Global Perspective: Value Creation and Resource Integration

（Author: Dr. TANG Jian, Secretary-General of UNICCC)

With the continuous development of human society, the awareness of child-friendly cities has gradually increased in countries around the world. In the context of globalization, the construction of child-friendly cities is an important measure to safeguard the basic rights of children around the world. Accelerating the construction of child-friendly cities in a global perspective has an important role of value creation and resource integration; through value creation and resource integration, it creates a better environment for children's growth and urban development.

The construction of child-friendly cities in a global perspective will play a great role in value creation, which is mainly reflected in the following aspects: first, the value of children's education. First, the value for children's education. On the one hand, it will provide richer educational resources. Under the global perspective, the construction of child-friendly cities should provide children with a broad space for education and learning; fully open libraries, museums, science and technology centers, etc., and provide a variety of educational resources, so as to improve children's enthusiasm and initiative in learning, enhance the effectiveness of children's education, and promote the all-round development of children. On the other hand, cross-cultural exchanges and learning should be promoted. Under the global perspective, building child-friendly cities will attract people with different cultural backgrounds to gather here, and children will have the opportunity to come into contact with different languages, cultures and customs, thus promoting cross-cultural exchanges. At the same time, in the process of exchanging with children from other countries, children can broaden their horizons and learn more knowledge. Second, the value of social stability. On the one hand, it can reduce social conflicts. To build a child-friendly city in a global perspective, the first thing to consider is to satisfy the social needs of children in housing, education and medical care, which will help to reduce the social conflicts caused by the imbalance of resource distribution. For example, high-quality education resources can enable all children to have the opportunity to give full play to their potential, preventing the sense of social inequality caused by unequal education opportunities; and perfect medical protection can ensure the healthy growth of children, reduce the economic pressure on families due to medical costs, and thus reduce social instability. On the other hand, it strengthens social cohesion. The construction of child-friendly cities from a global perspective emphasizes the provision of fair development opportunities for all children, regardless of economic status, family background and other factors, to create a good social environment for children, and promote the formation of children's correct social outlook and values, which will be transformed into a sense of belonging to the community and a sense of responsibility when they grow up, thus strengthening the cohesion of the whole society. Thirdly, the value of urban development. On the one hand, it enhances the image of the city. Building a child-friendly city in a global perspective can significantly enhance the brand image and international competitiveness of the city; a child-friendly city can usually attract more tourists, talents and investments, and drive the city's economic development. On the other hand, it promotes the sustainable development of cities. The construction of child-friendly cities from a global perspective emphasizes the conservation of resources and protection of the environment, and the creation of green, ecological and sustainable living environments for children; for example, the construction of eco-parks, the promotion of green mobility, and the development of environmental protection education, focusing on cultivating children's awareness of environmental protection and behavioral habits. As the future masters of the city, children's environmental awareness and practical actions will have a profound impact on the sustainable development of the city.

Similarly, the construction of child-friendly cities in a global perspective also plays an important role in the integration of global advantageous resources, which is mainly reflected in the following aspects: first, the exchange and cooperation of experience and technology. At present, there are many successful cases of building child-friendly cities in countries all over the world, and they have accumulated a lot of experience and technology in building child-friendly cities. Through exchanges and cooperation, we can learn the advanced technology and successful experience in building child-friendly cities in relevant countries or regions, so as to improve the capacity and level of building child-friendly cities. Secondly, the development and promotion of high-quality projects. In order to build child-friendly cities from a global perspective, we should cooperate with cities in other countries or regions in selecting high-quality projects, establish a sound mechanism for project promotion, ensure the smooth implementation of high-quality projects, and work together to build child-friendly cities. Third, the sharing and application of advantageous resources. Under the global perspective, countries can share and apply all kinds of advantageous resources for building child-friendly cities, including technology, capital and talents. Through the sharing and application of advantageous resources, the utilization efficiency of resources can be greatly improved to speed up the process of building child-friendly cities; at the same time, a global platform for sharing and application of advantageous resources for building child-friendly cities can be built to promote the sharing of resources among countries all over the world; in addition, it is also necessary to further strengthen the international cooperation, and strive for the support of international institutions or organizations in terms of funds, technology and talents, so as to provide strong resource guarantee for the construction of child-friendly cities. In addition, it is also necessary to further strengthen international cooperation and seek support from international institutions or organizations in terms of funds, technology and talents, so as to provide strong resources for building child-friendly cities.

Looking ahead, the construction of child-friendly cities under the global perspective will show the following trends: first, more countries recognize the necessity and importance of building child-friendly cities under the global perspective, and make it the focus of strategic planning for urban development; it is expected that more and more cities will join in the construction of child-friendly cities in the future, forming a global boom in the construction of child-friendly cities. Secondly, the construction of child-friendly cities will be more comprehensive, not only focusing on the improvement of material environment, but also paying close attention to the needs of children's mental health, culture and education, social participation, etc., so as to provide all-around and systematic support and guarantee for the healthy growth of children. Thirdly, we will emphasize children's expression and participation, encourage children to take an active part in the process of urban planning and construction, and highly respect children's ideas and opinions, so as to make the city a children's city in the true sense of the word. Fourthly, we will strengthen exchanges and cooperation among countries around the world, and they will learn from each other's advanced experiences and practices in building child-friendly cities, so as to jointly promote the upgrading of the level of construction of child-friendly cities in a global perspective; moreover, international organizations will play a greater role in promoting the sharing of resources and synergistic development. Fifthly, in-depth integration with sustainable development goals, the construction of child-friendly cities will be organically integrated with sustainable development goals such as economic development, social equity and environmental protection, so as to realize sustainable urban development and create a better future for children.

To sum up, under the globalization vision, building child-friendly cities has become the mainstream trend of city construction and development, and on the basis of giving full play to the roles of value creation and resource integration, it will make a greater contribution to children's healthy growth and sustainable development of cities!

(Source: China Report)