Children’s views fused into all key municipal policies Definition of Child Friendly Local Governance (CFLG) Child Friendly Local Governance, as articulated in the National Strategy and approved by the Cabinet of Nepal, is to provide “overall guidance to the government in realising and mainstreaming the rights of children (survival, development, protection and participation) into the local government system, structure, policies and process.” CFLG seeks to put children at the core of the development agenda of local bodies, line agencies and civil society. Childfriendly local government and improved service delivery for children is the ultimate outcome of CFLG. Child Friendly Local Governance Initiative, Nepal Implemented by the Ministry of Local Development with technical support from UNICEF/Nepal
“My club is called Suryodaya Working Children’s Club. Our club has helped to make this municipality child friendly. We have been supporting birth registration and immunisation campaigns. We have also formed child clubs in all the schools. We conducted two days of orientation for all the child clubs in Biratnagar and explained about the benefits of child-friendly local governance and the negative effects on children when a community is not child friendly,” explains Sunita Tamang, who lives in Biratnagar, Nepal. When her government announced an immunisation campaign, her club went to all the nooks and crannies of her municipality to identify even the poorest worker children, who are normally never found by government officials. Sunita and her friends took these children to the immunisation centres, and the municipality department of health had to admit that the immunisation rates were higher than ever. Today, Sunita advises other children on the Child Friendly Local Governance Strategy, which is implemented by the Ministry of Local Development with UNICEF providing technical support
Children at the core of development The Child Friendly Local Governance Strategy seeks to put children at the core of the development agenda of local bodies, line agencies and civil society, with the Ministry of Local Development responsible for developing policy guidelines, facilitating their implementation, allocating resources and coordinating with line ministries and civil society. “Child-friendly local governance is a key indicator of governance under the National Programme of Decentralisation, the Local Government and Community Development Programme. It’s included in the Three-Year Interim Plan of the government of Nepal and was approved by the Cabinet in July 2011. A manda16
tory provision for the allocation of 10 per cent of the capital grant in the guidelines for the District Development Committees and Village Development Committee capital block grant funds have been included for child-related programmes as well as 15 per cent for local bodies supporting and encouraging childfriendly local governance,” says Ganesh Prd. Pandey, Ministry of Local Development.
Local bodies are nearest Local bodies are selected to carry out the strategy, because they are in the best position to provide and sustain basic services for families and to protect children, as they are the government units nearest to families and children. This is also in line with Nepal’s principles of decentralisation, which state that e.g. local bodies are mandated with the responsibility of the development of districts. By having the local bodies in charge, an enabling environment that will support the development of positive thinking amongst adults and a clearer understanding on child rights issues is being built right there where the children live. This is leading to less violence, abuse and discrimination against children as well as improved availability of quality services for children. The results are obvious at a very practical level. When Sunita Tamang’s club noticed that a large group of Muslim girls were dropping out of school, they went straight to the girls’ houses to find out why. The parents explained that since they were Muslims, they did not like their girls wearing school uniforms with skirts. They would rather have their girls wear the traditional South Asian dress Salwar Kameez with long shirts and baggy trousers. When the club went to the municipality education office to explain the situation, the Muslim girls were instantly granted the permission to wear Salwar Kamees, and they returned to school.