Press releases

Attending the official ceremony of signing the memorandum to include Baranovichi to the international initiative Child Friendly Cities was Deputy Education Minister Viktor Yakzhik, Chairman of the Baranovichi City Hall Yuri Gromakovsky and UNICEF representative to Belarus Rashed Mustafa Sarwar.

“It is a great honor that Baranovichi got the Child Friendly City title this year when the city celebrates its 145 anniversary. It is really important as more than one fourth of Baranovichi residents are young people,” stressed chairman of the city hall Yuri Gromakovsky.

It was stressed at the ceremony that in order to get the title there is a special system of calculating the child friendly city index and the city’s program development in children’s interests. Up to 17 main parameters are taken into account. Among them is children’s participation in the public life and decision-making, living environment, urban safety, health protection and healthy lifestyle, education and development, leisure time and culture, help in a difficult situation. According to Viktor Yakzhik, in cooperation with UNICEF Belarus has recently implemented projects in preventing the children’s injury rate, crisis state among teenagers, providing assistance to families with children with special needs, improving the organization of inclusive education.

“Belarus has made a great headway in the work with the youth. Belarus has good experience to share with other countries,” said Rashed Mustafa Sarwar.

The Child Friendly Cities project took its start in Europe in the mid 1990s. The project highlights protection of children from dangers: domestic violence, environmental instability, social isolation, involvement in criminal activities. Today the program is implemented in nearly 900 cities. Among them is Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Vilnius, Munich, London. Belarus joined the initiative in 2006. Over 20 Belarusian cities take part in the program.

The document was signed during the nationwide festivity “Baranovichi – Belarus’ Youth Capital 2016” which took place in Baranovichi on 29-30 January. The city plays host to a series of cultural, tourist and sport events, a contest of mobile photography, competitions in computer games, rhythmic gymnastics and acrobatics. The nationwide project will be held in all educational establishments of Belarus in 2016.