A child-friendly municipality

• every child feels valued
• every child has the right to live in safety
• every child gets to take part in
• Every child has friends and a trusted adult
• every child has a voice
• every child is taken into account in decision-making

At its meeting on 19 August 2019, Keuruu Town Council decided to apply to join UNICEF’s Child-Friendly Municipality model. The development work began in Keuruu in 2020. Following initial training, an initial assessment was carried out on the current state of the town’s child-friendliness, and children’s views and experiences were explored. The initial assessment was also based on the model’s child rights indicators and existing data within the municipality on children’s well-being. Based on the assessments, five development priorities for the Child-Friendly Municipality action plan were selected for the years 2023–2024.

UNICEF monitored and evaluated the progress of the development work annually at follow-up meetings. At the end of the programme period in spring 2025, the municipality and UNICEF Finland will evaluate the results and success of the municipality’s Child-Friendly Municipality work. Based on this evaluation, UNICEF has awarded the town of Keuruu its first Child-Friendly Municipality certification. Keuruu is the 40th municipality to be awarded UNICEF Finland’s Child-Friendly Municipality certification. In Central Finland, Keuruu is the second municipality, alongside Jyväskylä, to have received the certification.

With this recognition, Keuruu commits to continuing to develop its child-friendly environment and to uphold children’s rights. The recognition awarded to Keuruu is valid for the next two years, during which time work on new objectives will continue.

In Keuruu, the ‘Child-Friendly Municipality’ development work is overseen by a multi-stakeholder coordination group comprising representatives from administrative services, technical services, and growth and wellbeing services, as well as representatives from the Central Finland Wellbeing Region, the Keuruu Youth Council, the City Council and the Growth and Wellbeing Committee.

1. Municipal officials, employees, elected representatives and key stakeholders have been briefed on children’s rights. Children’s rights form part of the municipality’s induction programmes.
2. The municipality ensures that participation is realised in children’s everyday environments. Promoting participation is a guiding principle for those working with children and young people.
3. Children’s experiences and views are identified and taken into account in urban planning. This approach is applied at various stages of the process and in different planning tasks, such as land use planning and zoning, as well as in the design of other public spaces.
4. Positive and active interaction between children, young people and adults is encouraged. Children and young people are met and treated as equals and with respect.
5. The local authority prevents discrimination by seeking to influence the attitudes of local residents.