The Institute of Childhood and Urban World (CIIMU) is a consortium created by the Barcelona City Council, the Barcelona County Council and three universities: University of Barcelona, Autonomic University of Barcelona and Open University of Catalonia. Its main purpose is to link the academic and local worlds, developing basic and applied research to improve professional practice and public policies focused on childhood and families.

During the last years, the Consortium has consolidated areas and research projects and elaborates, among others, a Biannual State Report on Childhood and Families in Catalonia. Since the participation on projects and international initiatives makes one of its main goals, it now promotes the organization of a Biannual International Forum on Childhood and Families along with the University of Barcelona and the Catalonian Well-being and Family Council.

The aim of this International Forum is to gather distinguished local, national and international researchers and professionals, technicians and users during a working and reflection time about two childhood and families issues: international adoption and homoparentality.

Spain is the second receiving country in terms of actual number of adopted children in the world after the United States. But, in terms of international adoptions per capita, Catalonia shows the world's highest rate.

Married and single parents, with or without biological children, have been able to adopt from the very beginning in Spain. Furthermore, in April 2005 Catalonia amended the Family Code in order to allow homosexual couples to adopt. In addition to this, in July 2005, the Spanish Parliament approved an amendment to the Civil Code allowing homosexual marriages and, therefore, children adoption by those couples. All those facts have situated Catalonia and Spain in the childhood and family international agenda, and consequently justify the thematic election for this first Forum edition.

NOTE: the official languages of the I Forum will be Spanish and English.
There will be simultaneous translation from Spanish to English and vice versa.