Safer Cities Programme provides support to local authorities to coordinate activities aimed at reducing and preventing urban violence.

Local governments are key actors in coalitions and in the development of community-wide planning strategies for crime prevention. The International Conferences on the theme of urban violence and safety held successively in Barcelona (1987), Montreal (1989), Paris (1991), Vancouver (1996), Johannesburg (1998) and Naples (2000) reaffirmed that the role of local authorities as leaders of local partnerships is crucial. Mayors and city councilors are in strategic positions to initiate and coordinate local action and adequately address the social demand. A partnership between local governments and other stakeholders can enable prevention and ultimately eliminate violence, crime and insecurity.

• Strengthening their capacity to address urban safety issues and enhance social cohesion;
• Promoting crime prevention initiatives, implemented in collaboration with central and local authorities, the criminal justice system, the private sector and civil society;
• Encouraging city networks in order to facilitate the exchange of expertise and good practices, which will be replicable in other regions as well as encourage international exchange of knowledge and expertise on urban safety;
• Preparing and implementing trainings and capacity building programmes and disseminating lessons learnt in close collaboration with qualified partners from the North and the South;
• Targeting three main areas of prevention: vulnerable groups vis-à-vis urban violence, Urban Planning, Management and Governance, and Governance of Safety.