The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development (MoFALD) is planning to declare at least 50 local units child-friendly by the end of next fiscal year. 

The Child-Friendly Local Governance (CFLG) Operational Guideline- 2011 of MoFALD has set 27 services and 12 institutional indicators that have to be achieved by local bodies to earn the child-friendly status. 

Pragati Nagar Village Development Committee (VDC) in Nawalparasi, which is now Devchuli Municipality, was the first to be declared child-friendly in 2013. 

The Biratnagar Metropolitan City (formerly a sub-metropolis) is the only child-friendly metropolitan city at present.  

“We advocate collaborative planning for children from the ground level to ensure children’s voices are heard” said Bijay Raj Subedi, the CFLG focal person at MoFALD. 

The government had set the indicators in line child rights related to Right of Life, Right to Protection, Right to Development and Right to Participation as defined and guaranteed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children (UNCRC). 

The General Assembly of United Nations Organisations adopted the Convention on Child Rights (CRC) in 1989. 

Nepal ratified the CRC on September 14, 1990. 

The guideline of CFLG has 10 indicators for right to life, six indicators for development, five indicators to ensure child protection and six indicators to ensure child participation. 

“We declare any local body child-friendly as soon as they achieve the indicators. Some indicators should be fully achieved while some can be fulfilled by 80 percent” said Subedi. 

Officials from the ministry monitor the achievements and plans of local bodies every two years. 

The national framework of CFLG states that mechanisms must be developed for children aged 12-18 to ensure their participation in decision-making process of local bodies. Local health management committees must have the representation of child clubs and child clubs must be formed in each ward and network at the local level and they should be functional. 

Under CFLG, the local bodies must ensure children’s participation or child club representatives in local governance structures which are to have at least one boy and one girl in the decision making process. 

Article 39 of the constitution also states that every child shall have the right to preliminary child development and child participation. The Local Government Act calls for formulation, implementation and regulation of laws and policies related to early child education, school education, informal education, open and alternative learning and special education.  But the Child-Friendly Local Governance (CFLG) Operational Guideline was introduced back in 2011. Now with 744 local units across the country in the new federal set-up, there are four metropolitan cities, 13 sub-metropolises, 246 municipal councils and 481 village councils. “This will mean we have to rearrange the system. We got to relocate some local bodies which were earlier declared child-friendly,” said Subedi.