Children's rights and the crisis of rapid urbanisation : exploring the United Nations post 2015 sustainable development agenda and the potential role for UNICEF's Child Friendly Cities Initiative

Within a rapidly urbanising world, many governments, particularly those in developing nations, will struggle over the next 30 years to support children. There were many key issues and challenges for children in cities identified over a decade ago as countries embarked on the task of addressing and monitoring progress through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS). But as the 15-year time frame of the MDGS draws near and urbanisation swells and sets to increase significantly in those countries with the least capacity to manage it, it is the post-2015 agenda that is now the key talking point for many UN agencies. This article supports and argues, along with others, that the rights and needs of the most vulnerable children and their communities should be central to the post-2015 sustainable development goals (SDGS) and UNICEF through its urban programmes such as child friendly cities initiative (CFCI) has a significant role to play in addressing both the crisis of urbanisation and children's rights. This article concludes by identifying four key areas where UNICEF's CFCI has the potential to contribute to the planetary challenges ahead.