Spain
Ciudades Amigas de la Infancia
The Ciudades Amigas de la Infancia (Child Friendly Cities) initiative in Spain was launched in 2002 and has the support of the Ministry of Youth and Children, the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) and the University Institute of Needs and Rights of Children and Adolescents (IUNDIA).
The initiative drives participating municipalities to design and implement efficient public policies that improve the well-being of children, defend their rights, promote their participation and make cities more livable, sustainable and equitable.
Specifically, the initiative promotes: the integration of child rights, as stipulated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, into municipal public policies, cross-sectoral coordination, child participation as a tool for social change, and strengthened alliances among local and regional actors. It is a model for public policy management that – through its structure – allows for continual improvement.
All local authorities must commit to deliver results for children:
- Every child is valued, respected and treated fairly;
- Every child's voices, needs and priorities are heard and considered in all decisions that affect them.
- Every child has access to quality essential services;
- All children live in safe and clean environments;
- All children have the opportunity to enjoy family life, play and recreation.
To be recognised, they must also meet the following minimum criteria:
- Have demonstrable results in upholding children's rights as enshrined in the Child Right Convention.
- Have achieved meaningful and inclusive child participation.
- Demonstrable commitment to eliminating discrimination against children and young people in the policies and actions of the Local Authority.
This new approach requires that recognition is awarded when the Local Authority can start to show results for children. Thus, since 2023, three levels have been established:
- Candidates - They have a diagnosis, a local plan for children, an internal coordination space and child participation.
- Recognised - After a minimum of one year of implementation of the local plan for children, it is able to demonstrate results.
- Renewed - Has been recognised for the previous four years, has evaluated its local plan for children and has designed a new one based on the lessons learned from the previous one.
The mechanism for local authorities to have a common framework of indicators was the battery of indicators that the initiative developed in 2019, and on which, depending on the population size, each local authority must choose a number of indicators.
Every year, the UNICEF Spanish National Committee and its partners publicly acknowledges the cities committed to fulfilling the rights of children by awarding them with a Recognition (Reconocimiento Ciudades Amigas de la Infancia). The endorsement is granted for a period of four years, with municipalities having to submit a mid-performance report during this time. The Seal can be renewed every four years as long as the municipalities continue their work with children.
Some of the achievements made in 2022 by the 156 local government renewed or recognised in 2023 were:
- They have invested more than four million euros to promote the participation of children in 2022.
- They have implemented a budget of more than one billion euros in 2022 for the implementation of actions included in their children's plans to guarantee the rights of children and adolescents.
- 31% of these localities have educational support programmes (school reinforcement, prevention of dropping out or absenteeism, etc.), which will benefit 91% of the children who request them in 2022.
- 21% of them have adapted sports programmes for children with disabilities, which cover an average of 33% of their offer.
- 22% have some kind of pedestrian safety measures around educational centres, with an average coverage of more than 85%.
- 33 of the 156 recognised municipalities have more than 1,000 km of segregated cycle lanes, making them safer for children to use.
- 35% of these municipalities have municipal programmes to develop emotional, educational and parenting skills in families, with more than 48,000 people participating in 2022.
The initiative in Spain supports municipalities participating in the initiative through a dedicated website as well as training opportunities, networking events, child participation activities and research.
To date, 301 local governments have been granted this recognition. Altogether, the initiative reaches 45,30% of all children living in Spain. Local governments have 421 local child councils (about 23,841 children take part in any of them).
COUNTRY FACTS
Population: 47.400.798 (INE. Censo 2021)
Pop. under 18: 8.656.326
CONTACTS
Silvia CASANOVAS. Child participation and local policies manager. scasanovas@unicef.es
Paola BERNAL, Child Friendly Cities Specialist. pbernal@unicef.es
LINKS
RESOURCES (in Spanish)
- TOOL BOX
- Child Participation
- Indicators for better local policies
- Monitoring a Local Action Plan
- Local Governance
- Toolkit: Identifying and quantifying investment for children
- Booklets for local action: Keys to promote child and adolescent participation
- Participatory experiences of children and adolescents at the local level: pillars that facilitate participation
- Participatory budgeting with children and adolescents
List of child friendly cities in Spain
301 recognized cities
- Albacete
- Alcalá De Henares
- Alcantarilla
- Alcázar De San Juan
- Alcobendas
- Alcoi
- Alcorcón
- Aldeamayor De San Martin
- Alfaro
- Alhaurin El Grande
- Alhendin
- Aljaraque
- Almendralejo
- Almería
- Almussafes
- Alovera
- Alpartir
- Alzira
- Andoain
- Andújar
- Arahal
- Argamasilla De Calatrava
- Argentona
- Armilla
- Arnedo
- Arroyo De La Luz
- Ávila
- Avilés
- Ayamonte
- Azuqueca De Henares
- Barbastro
- Barcelona
- Bargas
- Begues
- Bellreguard
- Belmonte De Miranda
- Benavites
- Beniel
- Berango
- Bilbao
- Boal
- Boecillo
- Bolullos De La Mitación
- Bormujos
- Brenes
- Breña Baja
- Bullas
- Burgos
- Cabra
- Cáceres
- Calahorra
- Calasparra
- Calatayud
- Callús
- Calvià
- Camargo
- Campillos
- Candamo
- Cangas De Onis, Amieva Y Onis
- Cangas Del Narcea
- Carbajosa De La Sagrada
- Carcaixent
- Carrión De Los Céspedes
- Cartagena
- Cártama
- Castellón De La Plana
- Castilblanco De Los Arroyos
- Castrelo De Miño
- Castrillón
- Castro Del Río
- Castropol
- Cazalla De La Sierra
- Ceuti
- Chiclana De La Frontera
- Cieza
- Ciudad Real
- Coaña
- Collado Villalba
- Comarca De La Sidra
- Comillas
- Conil De La Frontera
- Corvera De Asturias
- Cuarte De Huerva
- Cuenca
- Cuevas Del Almanzora
- Daganzo De Arriba
- Daimiel
- Dénia
- Don Benito
- Doña Mencía
- Dos Torres
- Eivissa
- Ejea De Los Caballeros
- El Casar
- El Franco
- El Saucejo
- El Viso Del Alcor
- Épila
- Ermua
- Esplugues De Llobregat
- Felanitx
- Fernán Núñez
- Figueres
- Formentera
- Fraga
- Fuengirola
- Fuenlabrada
- Fuente Palmera
- Fuentes De Andalucía
- Gandia
- Gelves
- Gibraleón
- Gijón
- Girona
- Grado
- Granada
- Grandas De Salime
- Guadamur
- Guillena
- Haro
- Herrera Del Duque
- Huelva
- Humanes De Madrid
- Igualada
- Illano
- Illas
- Inca
- Irun
- Isla Cristina
- Iznájar
- Jaca
- Jaen
- La Adrada
- La Algaba
- La Almunia De Doña Godina
- La Carlota
- La Oliva
- La Palma Del Condado
- La Pobla De Farnals
- La Puebla De Alfindén
- La Puebla De Cazalla
- La Rinconada
- La Roda De Andalucía
- La Vall D´Uixò
- La Vega
- La Villa De Orotava
- Las Palmas De Gran Canarias
- Laviana
- Lebrija
- León
- Lepe
- Llanera
- Llanes
- Lleida
- Llerena
- Logroño
- Lora Del Río
- Lorqui
- Los Palacios Y Villafranca
- Los Realejos
- Luque
- Madrid
- Mahón
- Málaga
- Marbella
- Marmolejo
- Martorell
- Mataró
- Meco
- Medina De Rioseco
- Medina Del Campo
- Mejorada Del Campo - Velilla De San Antonio
- Mendavia
- Mieres
- Mislata
- Moaña
- Moeche
- Molina De Aragón
- Molins De Rei
- Mollerussa
- Mondéjar
- Montilla
- Morella
- Mota Del Cuervo
- Mula
- Murcia
- Navacerrada
- Navia
- Nerva
- Noreña
- Nueva Carteya
- Olías Del Rey
- Olivares
- Orgaz
- Ortuella
- Oviedo
- Palafrugell
- Palencia
- Palencia
- Palma
- Pamplona
- Paracuellos De Jarama
- Paradas
- Parla
- Parres
- Pasaia - Pasaiako Udala
- Pedrola
- Pesoz
- Picassent
- Pilas
- Piloña
- Poble Nou De Benitatxell
- Pola De Lena
- Polán
- Polanco
- Ponteareas
- Pozoblanco
- Pravia
- Puerto Del Rosario
- Puertollano
- Quart De Poblet
- Quer
- Rafelbunyol
- Redondela
- Reus
- Ribadesella
- Rivas Vaciamadrid
- Rubí
- Sabadell
- Sabiñánigo
- Sagunto
- Salamanca
- Salas
- Salteras
- San Bartolomé De La Torre
- San Cristóbal De La Laguna
- San Cristóbal De Segovia
- San Javier
- San Martín Del Rey Aurelio
- San Pedro Del Pinatar
- San Sebastián De Los Reyes
- Sant Cugat Del Vallès
- Sant Josep De Sa Talaia
- Sant Just Desvern
- Sant Lluís
- Santa Coloma De Gramenet
- Santa Cruz De La Zarza
- Santa Cruz De Tenerife
- Santa Cruz Del Retamar
- Santa Eulària Des Riu
- Santa Lucía De Tirajana
- Santa Marta De Tormes
- Santaella
- Santander
- Santanyi
- Santomera
- Santpedor
- Segovia
- Servicios Del Suroeste De Madrid
- Sevilla
- Siero
- Sigüenza
- Somiedo
- Soria
- Tarragona
- Tegueste
- Tenerife
- Teo (Concello)
- Teruel
- Teulada
- Tiana
- Tinajo
- Tineo
- Toledo
- Tomiño (Concello De)
- Torrelodones
- Torrijos
- Trasierra Tierras De Granadilla
- Tres Cantos
- Trigueros
- Úbeda
- Valdepeñas
- Valladolid
- Vegadeo
- Véjer De La Frontera
- Vélez-Málaga
- Vera
- Vilassar De Dalt
- Villa De Algarrobo
- Villamanrique De La Condesa
- Villamayor
- Villanueva De La Serena
- Villarreal De Huerva
- Villena
- Vitoria-Gasteiz
- Xàbia
- Yebes
- Zalla
- Zamora
- Zaragoza