Press releases

MINSK, 17 October (BelTA) – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Belarus jointly with the Education Ministry and the National Center of Creativity of Children and Youth have announced two contests as part of the Child Friendly City initiative, BelTA learned from the UNICEF.

The first contest is for children’s and youth parliaments, the second one is for young journalists. Both the contests will be held from October 2017 to March 2018. Works submitted before 2 November 2017 will be presented at the global competition among young journalists from child friendly cities. The best works will be published in the UNICEF newspaper to mark the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (20 November).

The national contest for the best children’s and youth parliaments is held with a view to intensifying their activity, sharing experience, implementing socially important projects in the interests of children and the youth, popularizing the Child Friendly City initiative. The national contest among young journalists is aimed at discovering talented children and the youth, stimulating the creative and public activity. Invited to take part in the contest are young journalists aged 13-21 from Belarusian cities that have joined the Child Friendly City initiative.

The winner and prize-holders will get diplomas of the Education Ministry and the UNICEF and prizes.

The project for the implementation of the international initiative Child Friendly City was launched in Belarus in 2007. The first city to unite efforts and announce itself child and youth friendly was Svetlogorsk. Pruzhany, Pinsk, Dobrush, Borisov, Grodno, Gomel, Brest, Novopolotsk, Lida, Shklov joined the initiative in 2008-2011, Minsk, Polotsk, Mozyr, Kostyukovichi, Gorki, Novogrudok, Zhodino, Soligorsk, Molodechno, Slutsk and Mogilev in 2012-2013, Baranovichi, Orsha and Volkovysk in 2016.