The International Safe Communities Movement
The Safe Communities movement grew out of the First World Conference on Accident and Injury Prevention, held in Stockholm, Sweden,
in 1989. The Manifesto for Safe Communities, emerging from that conference, provided the foundation for the international Safe Communities
movement, and for Safe Communities America.
Many people and organizations worldwide already invest energy and resources into the goals of safe communities. The concept of a safe
community recognizes that no single approach to injury prevention and safety promotion can be as effective as a collaboration among community
organizations and community members. The concept of a safe community recognizes that the leading role is played by the community itself, an
entity that is larger than any of its parts.
Communities that can document a systematic approach to defining local injury prevention and safety issues, a collaborative process to
address them, and a commitment to evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts are eligible to be designated as a Safe Community by the World
Health Organization’s Collaborating Centre on Community Safety Promotion.