More than 200,000 children and adolescents reached through BNP Paribas Cardif’s support to UNICEF programmes to prevent overweight and obesity in Latin America
Since 2022, the partnership has benefited children and adolescents, their caregivers, and teachers, spreading awareness among over 35 million people through communication campaigns.
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PANAMA CITY, April 7, 2026.– On the occasion of World Health Day, BNP Paribas Cardif and the UNICEF Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean renew and strengthen their partnership to contribute to the prevention of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents in Latin America.
Since 2022, in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, the alliance has reached more than 200,000 children through direct interventions in schools and communities and over 35 million people indirectly through communication campaigns.
In the region, many children and adolescents grow up in environments where sugary drinks, ultra-processed snacks, and fast food are readily available and affordable, while nutritious options remain limited or expensive. According to UNICEF's report Feeding profit: how food environments are failing children, for the first time in the world, the prevalence of obesity among school-aged children and adolescents has surpassed that of underweight, an alarming sign of the changing malnutrition patterns facing new generations.
“Obesity can have lasting consequences for children’s health and development. Increasingly, ultra-processed foods are replacing the consumption of vegetables, protein, and other essential nutrients, precisely at a stage of life when good nutrition is crucial for child development. We recognize BNP Paribas Cardif’s commitment to continue supporting us to address this growing challenge”
-Roberto Benes, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.
For his part, Francisco Valenzuela, Regional CEO of BNP Paribas Cardif for Latin America, emphasized the importance of continuing to strengthen joint work in the region:
“At BNP Paribas Cardif, we have been working with UNICEF for over four years, convinced that the well-being of future generations is a shared responsibility. We are very proud to continue contributing to the prevention of overweight and obesity, a problem that increasingly affects children and adolescents in Latin America. Through this collaboration, we reaffirm our commitment to building healthier environments and our purpose of making protection more accessible to more people in the region”.
-Francisco Valenzuela, Regional CEO of BNP Paribas Cardif for Latin America
In the region, overweight affects nearly 50 million children and adolescents between the ages of five and 19. Furthermore, in twenty-five countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, one in four children and adolescents in that same age group is overweight.
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About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world's toughest places, to reach the world's most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.
For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org/lac/en.
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About BNP Paribas Cardif
BNP Paribas Cardif is a world leader in bancassurance partnerships, providing its customers with products and services that let them realise their goals while protecting themselves from unforeseen events. BNP Paribas Cardif is committed to having a positive impact on society and to making insurance more accessible. A subsidiary of BNP Paribas, the insurer has a unique business model anchored in partnerships. It creates solutions for more than 500 partner distributors in a variety of sectors – including banks and financial institutions, automotive sector companies, retailers and telecommunications companies – as well as for financial advisors and brokers who market the products to their customers. With a presence in 30 countries and strong positions in Europe, Asia and Latin America, BNP Paribas Cardif is a global specialist in personal insurance, the world leader in creditor insurance* and a major contributor to financing for the real economy. With 9,000 employees worldwide, BNP Paribas Cardif had gross written premiums of €40.5 billion in 2025.
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