Speech at the Launching forum of the European Network “Cities for Children”

By Björg Tysdal MOE, member of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
of the Council of Europe,  Committee on Sustainable Development

Stuttgart, 25 June 2007

Dear Mr Schuster,

Dear Colleagues,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First and foremost, I would like to thank the City of Stuttgart and in particular the Mayor, Wolfgang Schuster for inviting the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, which I represent here today, at this launch of a new network of cities. The Congress fully supports the creation of the European Network “Cities for Children”, and we welcome this initiative which offers a platform to develop a common strategy aimed at making our cities “child-friendly”. We feel strongly that if we are to fulfil our mission to create a healthy and peaceful Europe we should start building a Europe for Children, beginning with a Europe of Cities for Children.

Many of us have good memories of childhood experiences in the city. Today, urban areas are often described as inappropriate for children, dangerous, unhealthy, excluding children and restricting their scope to move about. The main difficulties that children face in towns and cities relate to mobility and to participation in urban life.  In this context, we should guard against being any more cautious and not fall in the trap of a gradual disappearance of children from urban public spaces. Such a development not only handicaps children by depriving them of their opportunity to explore the social environment which is to be their own, but it also inhibits the proper balance between generations.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, we elected representatives and local authority managers have the responsibility of making sure that all children are regarded as fully-fledged citizens in their town or city and that their urban experience nurtures their development and socialisation process in a changing world.

Helping children find their rightful place in society is one of the priorities of the Council of Europe. It is with this in mind that in 2006 a three-year programme "Building a Europe for and with children" was launched. This Programme aims to promote children's rights and ensure the protection of children from violence. Children are not mini-human beings with mini-human rights. Their rights concern us all and children’s rights will make Europe grow.

The Council of Europe Congress is taking an active part in this programme. We are involved, for example, in the Berlin Process which is developing coordinated policies for disadvantaged neighbourhoods. In February 2006 we hosted a conference in Strasbourg on the theme “Youth in disadvantaged neighbourhoods: What chance for the future?”

The Congress is also very concerned about the plight of street children and last March, at its Spring Session, it held a special debate on this issue with the participation of the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio. Through the Programme “Building Europe for and with Children” we are working to improve awareness of their precarious existence and of the causes which can lead to dramatic exclusion.

We believe that local and regional authorities need to be particularly vigilant with regard to the vulnerable groups in our society. As elected representatives, we must never forget that children are victims of violence, in many forms: domestic violence, trafficking and sexual exploitation, urban insecurity, racially motivated attacks and young citizens in post-war situations or potential conflict zones, to name just a few. We have a crucial role to play in combating violence in all its forms – a community that does not look after its children is a community in name only.

 

One of the strengths of the Council of Europe is our standard-setting tools. We are currently revising the European Urban Charter of the Congress which will address many aspects of children’s experiences in an urban environment.

We are also very keen to foster institutional links and structures which encourage the participation of young people in local and regional governance and we are now implementing the “Revised European Charter on the participation of young people in local and regional life”. This Charter lays down guiding principles to make it easier for young people to take part in decisions affecting them. We believe that by discussing problems and taking action with young people – and not just for them – they will be able to think more clearly about their everyday life and become fully fledged citizens within their locality. 

Education plays a vital role in nurturing fulfilled children and young people able to fully participate in their society as they are growing up. The need for educational policies which include all children is essential if we are to create a space which belongs to all our citizens. The diversity of backgrounds found in our cities today offers rich opportunities for exchanges between children coming from very different origins with different customs and experiences. In the Congress we expect local and regional authorities to play their part in encouraging inclusion.

This is reflected, for example, in our 2004 Resolution on “A pact for the integration and participation of people of immigrant origin in Europe’s towns, cities and regions”.

Last but not least, I would like to mention the issue of sustainable development and the move towards responsible consumption in which the Congress is participating. Local and regional authorities, as the players the closest to citizens, have an awareness-raising capacity which is not negligible.  Raising awareness of the environmental, ethical and social issues behind our consumption patterns should not be restricted to adults. Children are very aware of the dangers facing our planet; indeed often they seem to be more aware of this than most adults. We should be encouraging children to make the links between what they consume and its impact on the environment. Examples might include energy and water use in the house, fashion items produced by child labour in far-off countries or how what they eat impacts on their future health.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to congratulate the Mayor of Stuttgart, Wolfgang Schuster - who is also a member of the Congress - for his persistent personal efforts to bring this project to fruition.

I shall end by reminding you of that famous utopia - The City of the Sun - where Tommaso Campanella set out his vision of a unified, peaceful world governed by a theocratic monarchy. Today, let us pull together our forces to create a peaceful City for the Child governed by strong, democratic local authorities for the benefit of our children. The City of the Sun was a dream.  Let us make the City for the Child a reality.