Chilean deputies ask UNICEF to speak out on the possible elimination of school programs

Published at: 29/04/2026 10:09 AM

A group of Chilean parliamentarians, composed of Luis Cuello, Daniela Serrano, Juan Santana and Lorena Pizarro, submitted a formal request to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for the agency to rule on the threat of eliminating the School Feeding Program (PAE).

Legislators warned that President Kast's administration is contemplating shutting down several key education initiatives. The request was given to Violet Speek-Warnery, representative of the United Nations fund in the country, as a warning measure to the social impact of these possible decisions.

The concern of the deputies originated after the release of a circular issued by the Ministry of Finance, in which it is recommended to discontinue programs under the Ministry of Education.

According to the applicants, this directive jeopardizes the continuity of public policies that have been fundamental to the development and permanence of students in the school system. The letter sent to UNICEF seeks the international organization to evaluate compliance with basic guarantees for children in this new administrative scenario.

Deputy Luis Cuello emphasized that the abolition of the PAE would directly affect almost 2 million children and adolescents who depend on this benefit on a daily basis. The parliamentarian pointed out that a measure of this magnitude violates the right to food, which is enshrined in various international treaties signed by the Chilean State.

The defense of the program focuses on its critical role in combating food insecurity and ensuring minimum conditions for learning in the most vulnerable sectors.

The parliamentarians insisted that the State must guarantee the progressiveness of social rights instead of implementing setbacks in sensitive areas such as education and child nutrition.

The request to UNICEF seeks to activate international surveillance mechanisms to prevent the dismantling of these protection networks. It is hoped that the pronouncement of the United Nations agency will serve as a legal and political precedent to stop the elimination of these national initiatives.

Mazo News Team