• The agreement includes a €1.4 million contribution for a new three-year period, extending the joint project launched in 2017. The partnership has already benefited more than five million children and adolescents.

• This renewed partnership will focus its activities on two countries where the Foundation is present: Brazil and Mexico.

o In Brazil, the project will promote safe mobility by ensuring safe access to rights and essential services in vulnerable urban areas.
o In Mexico, the STEM project will continue to promote science-related subjects among girls and adolescents throughout their educational journey.

Madrid, 5th October 2026.- The Abertis Foundation and UNICEF have renewed their international partnership until 2028 with the aim of ensuring that children and adolescents can safely access their rights and future opportunities through two complementary programmes: promoting safer and more inclusive cities for children in Brazil and advancing gender-responsive STEM education, science, technology, engineering and mathematics, in Mexico.

With a planned investment of €1.4 million, this new phase will consolidate the programmes that both organisations are already implementing in Brazil and Mexico, working alongside public authorities, educational communities, social organisations and adolescents.

"This renewal reaffirms our commitment to children and adolescents, and our belief in the power of education, safe mobility and innovation to transform lives. Together with UNICEF, we want to strengthen solutions that address the challenges of each territory and create lasting opportunities for those who need them most," said Elena Salgado, President of the Abertis Foundation.

"When a company maintains its commitment to children for almost a decade, the impact goes beyond individual projects and becomes a genuine transformation. The partnership with the Abertis Foundation demonstrates how the private sector can help more children and adolescents grow up in safer environments with greater opportunities. We hope this example will inspire other companies to join this commitment to children," added María Ángeles Espinosa, President of UNICEF Spain.

More opportunities for children through safe mobility and education

Since 2017, the partnership between the Abertis Foundation and UNICEF has helped address the lack of safe infrastructure around schools, improve the behaviour of drivers and accompanying adults, and promote safe mobility for children in countries where road safety remains a major challenge through awareness-raising and training initiatives. In 2024, the STEM programme was introduced in Mexico to encourage girls and adolescents to engage with science and mathematics

This new phase will continue in Brazil and Mexico.

According to the World Bank's Unlocking Economic Growth with Better Road Safety (2025) report, Brazil consistently ranks among the countries with the highest absolute number of road traffic fatalities in the world.

For this reason, among others, the Abertis Foundation and UNICEF will strengthen Agenda Cidade, an initiative aimed at ensuring that children and adolescents living in vulnerable urban areas can safely access essential services such as education, healthcare, social protection and public spaces. The programme will be implemented in Manaus, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo and will benefit approximately 127,000 children and adolescents.

In Mexico, the programme will continue to be implemented in Mexico City, Jalisco and Nuevo León. Its objectives include training 3,000 teachers in gender-responsive STEM methodologies, training 510 career guidance counsellors and reaching 34,000 children and adolescents across the three territories.

A partnership with a strong social impact

The Abertis Foundation was the first organisation in the world to partner with UNICEF to improve child road safety and reduce road traffic injuries. Since 2017, they have worked together to protect children and adolescents in countries such as Jamaica, India, Mexico and Brazil.

Thanks to this collaboration, aligned with Abertis' ESG commitment to generating a positive impact in the communities where it operates, more than five million children and adolescents have benefited since the partnership began, helping to create safer, more inclusive environments that are better prepared to face future challenges.

In Brazil, the safe mobility programme has reached more than 260,000 young people, and more than 20,000 have participated in training, engagement and public advocacy activities.

In Mexico, the STEM education programme for girls and adolescents has already benefited nearly 12,000 students and trained close to 1,200 teachers in gender-responsive STEM education, reinforcing the shared commitment of the Abertis Foundation and UNICEF to the development of future generations.

In India, another country where road traffic injuries are among the leading causes of child mortality, the programme, implemented between 2022 and 2025, provided road safety education to nearly 4.5 million children and adolescents in Telangana, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

About the Abertis Foundation
The Abertis Foundation was established in 1999 to contribute to the sustainable development of the territories where the Abertis Group operates. It promotes road safety, environmental sustainability, social action and cultural initiatives, supporting projects with a positive social impact and partnerships with universities and international institutions.

About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places to reach the most disadvantaged children. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

Abertis Foundation press contacts
APPLE TREE – abertis@appletree.agency - 933 184 669
Àngels Garriga – ang@appletree.agency
Carla Solanellas – car@appletree.agency

UNICEF press contacts
Hilda Moreno - hmoreno@unicef.es - 699009678
Laia Ruich - lruich@unicef.es

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