Safer Cities Programme was launched in 1996. It’s initial focus was on Africa, at the request of African mayors who were concerned by the extent of violence in their cities and wanted help with the development of prevention strategies at city level.

The Safer Cities Programme of UN-Habitat has been accumulating theoretical and practical knowledge on urban violence prevention issues for almost fifteen years. Focused on urban management and vulnerabilities regarding urban violence at a local level, Safer Cities has developed specific tools and strategies to address urban vulnerabilities vis-à-vis violence and offences. Key actor of a culture of urban safety and reference center of knowledge and good practices on urban safety and social cohesion, Safer Cities Programme provides its partners and other interested and implicated organizations with knowledge, tools and technical support to contribute to the development of urban safety and social cohesion.

To date, Safer Cities initiatives are well under way in several African cities and are also being replicated at the national level in some of the pilot countries in Africa. The programme has been extended to Latin America, Asia and Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, catering for an increasing need for exchange of information, knowledge and good practices between national, regional and local governments as well as civil society, non-governmental organisations and the international level.