City takes steps toward supporting children's rights with initiative
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — El Paso City Council approved the initial steps to join the ranks of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)-recognized child-friendly cities, which is a global initiative focused on empowering children's rights in urban and community settings, the City of El Paso said in a press release on Monday, April 28.
The City says the child-friendly cities initiative is structured around five key outcome goals, which are the following:
Ensuring every child is valued and respected
Providing children with a platform to be heard in public decisions
Guaranteeing access to quality services
Fostering safe environments
Encouraging family life, play, and leisure
The City says it will submit a 'comprehensive readiness assessment' to UNICEF and 'establish a synthesis action plan to outline priorities and actions for improving the lives of children in El Paso.'
'The City is also dedicated to eliminating discrimination and ensuring equity in all policies and actions,' the City said.
The initiative, launched in 1996 by UNICEF and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), aims to build environments where 'children's voices, needs, and rights are prioritized and integrated into public policies and governance structures,' the City said.
The City is now working toward UNICEF's Child-Friendly City designation, which would officially recognize the community's 'commitment to fostering environments that promote the safety, well-being, and participation of children in every aspect of public life,' the City said.
'The resolution to pursue this designation will lead to the formation of key initiatives, including a Youth Advisory Board and a 40-member steering committee, 'Para Niños,' which will guide the City through the application process,' the City said.
The City says it will officially launch the Youth Advisory Board on Thursday, May 1, and will be holding an event from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. that Thursday at La Nube, 301 E. Main Drive.
'Supported in part by the El Paso Community Foundation, the Youth Advisory Board will serve as a platform for young people in El Paso to provide input, share their perspectives, and actively engage in shaping policies that impact their lives. This board will play an essential role in ensuring that children's voices are heard throughout the process of becoming a Child Friendly City,' the City said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Las Cruces Public Schools to be closed on Juneteenth
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — All administrative offices at Las Cruces Public Schools (LCPS) will be closed on Thursday, June 19, in observance of Juneteenth, the district said in a press release. The district will resume business hours on Friday, June 20. 'Recognized as a federal holiday, Juneteenth serves as a time for reflection, education and the celebration of freedom and progress,' the district said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
UNICEF: 138 million children doing child labour globally
Nearly 138 million minors were engaged in child labour worldwide in 2024, according to a new report released on Wednesday by UNICEF and the International Labour Organization (ILO). The figure includes around 54 million children in work likely to jeopardize their health and safety. Child labour occurs most frequently in agriculture, with the worst-hit region being sub-Saharan Africa, where 87 million children are affected. The figures show a decline in child labour to almost 138 million in the 2021-24 period, down from 160 million in the 2016-20 period. Nevertheless, the target of eliminating child labour by 2025, included in UN Development Goals, will not be reached. The report came ahead of the World Day Against Child Labour which is being marked on Thursday. "The new child labour report underlines the grim reality that millions of children are still being denied the right to learn, to play and simply to be a child, despite all progress," UNICEF Germany head Christian Schneider said. The successes achieved pointed the way ahead through legal protection, better social protection, investment in free and high-quality education and work with dignity and fair pay for adults. These were "effective instruments for protecting children from child labour," Schneider said.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
After lengthy restoration project, Rochester's Pont de Rennes bridge ‘isn't holding strong'
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — After a lengthy restoration project, the Pont de Rennes pedestrian bridge isn't holding strong. After walking down the bridge, News 8 noticed damage and spoke with the community about how they feel. 'When the surface of the bridge is deteriorating, people say 'Well, was this a waste of money?' and we're still trying to get answers on that,' Rochester's Kathryn D'Amanda said. Walking along the bridge, News 8 noticed nearly 40 areas with damage just like this. Now, this project went over budget at $18.7 million. 'When you do a big project like this, you hope that the public is going to have a joyful experience,' D'Amanda said. 'It was a long time coming and you don't want people being disappointed and sometimes I think that the City doesn't take… they invest a lot… but they don't in the end invest enough to make the difference that we need to have.' D'Amanda told News 8 the damage is upsetting after the time and money the City put in. The Pont de Rennes pedestrian bridge restoration project included repairs to the bridge's structural steel and the addition of a new deck railing. The project started in July 2023 and the bridge reopened in December 2024. But D'Amanda said even before this damage, the City could've done better with beautification. 'They invested a lot and they did a lot of work under the bridge which is very important but they didn't take the final step in painting it which makes it look to the public as if the work wasn't done,' D'Amanda said. But a few Rochesterians, like Gary Silco, say it's a cosmetic issue, so it's not much of a bother. 'I don't feel that it's dangerous,' Silco said. 'I think it might be a hazard for people stepping on it perhaps but I don't think it's a danger to the bridge.' Ultimately, locals like D'Amanda and Silco told News 8 they love their city. 'I'm so excited to live in the city and I hope that the city will take the time and the money that it takes to invest properly,' D'Amanda said. According to a spokesperson for the City of Rochester, City employees are aware of the chipping of the non-structural concrete deck coating on the bridge. They are waiting for a report to figure out why this happened and they say the bridge surface will be redone, at no cost to the City, after they have determined the cause of the issue. In the meantime, the City says the contractor is set to do some patch work. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.