A Commitment to Well-Being and Childhood

The Chair on “Childhood and Youth Well-Being, Education, and Society” was awarded in 2025 for a period of four years, until 2029. This initiative aims to promote research, develop training activities, facilitate knowledge transfer, and foster collaborative networks to influence public policies that advance the well-being and rights of children and young people. Its objective is to empower children and youth to actively participate in public matters that affect their daily lives, particularly within the spheres of schools, families, and communities.

In this regard, the UNESCO Chair promotes the creation of evidence-based public advocacy agendas, integrating the voices of children and youth in all areas that affect their lives, including sectors that have traditionally been underexplored in relation to this population.

Its director, Mahia Saracostti, highlights “the need to place children at the center of all public policies, in line with the proposals of the Pact for the Future and the Lancet Commission, which also seek to promote the generation of knowledge with children rather than merely about them.”

Inter-University Cooperation

This Chair also serves as a bridge for collaboration between internationally recognized researchers and academic staff from state universities such as the University of Tarapacá, the University of La Frontera, and the University of Valparaíso, thereby strengthening networks of knowledge exchange and the promotion of child and youth well-being at the global level.

Concerning the global scope of the Chair, the Director of the Department of Social Work, Gianinna Muñoz, notes: “The Department of Social Work at the University of Chile celebrates the renewal of the UNESCO Chair led by Professor Mahia Saracostti, as it represents an initiative that enables us to expand and reinforce the international reach of our teaching, research, and public engagement. This is a project of significant scope that encourages our Department to contribute—through our critical perspectives—to international dialogues and processes of knowledge creation that enhance the lives of children and young people in the broadest sense.”

In this spirit, the Chair reaffirms its commitment to advancing knowledge generation and developing strategies that contribute to the well-being and sustainable development of future generations.