The right to play

The right to engage in play and leisure is an important part of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It ensures that children worldwide have the time and space for child-appropriate activities and recreation. Child-friendly urban planning is also a key factor here. As early as 1996, UNICEF – the United Nations Children’s Fund – presented the Child-friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI), a framework that supports the successful realisation of child-friendly cities.   

Regensburg wins prize for inclusive playground 

One of the goals of the CFCI, represented in Germany since 2012 by the “Child-friendly municipalities” association, is to enable children to participate in cultural, social and community life in the city. One good example here is Regensburg. In dialogue with children and young people, city maps were drawn up showing all the strengths and weaknesses of various urban venues from a child’s perspective. One result of this youth participation was the inclusive playground Brixenpark, which received the international UNICEF Inspire Award in 2021. Children and young people with and without disabilities were involved in the planning. Primary school pupils came up with the idea of installing a giant play dragon at the centre of the park. 

For refugee children in Burkina Faso 

Germany is also internationally committed to promoting children’s right to engage in play and leisure and supports countries in building child-friendly infrastructure – especially in crisis regions. The organisation Terre des Hommes Deutschland e. V. operates in Burkina Faso in West Africa. Together with partners, so-called “child-friendly spaces” were set up at refugee centres near the capital Ouagadougou. Children can play here under the guidance of educators. They get together to paint, play board games, do gymnastics or play on the swings. “This brings back a valuable sense of normality back to their lives, which at least for the time being helps them cope with the trauma of their displacement,” explains Claudia Berker, Africa Programmes and Policy Officer with Terre des Hommes Germany. Germany’s Federal Foreign Office supports the project.