CIFAL Merida
28 May 2025, Merida, Mexico - The International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL) Mérida, with the Airport Group of the Southeast (ASUR), continues to strengthen collaboration with UNICEF Mexico to promote and safeguard children’s rights in airports across southeastern Mexico.
CIFAL Merida and UNICEF Mexico have joined forces and signed a collaborative agreement to launch a series of initiatives aimed at ensuring access to information and raising awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to nutrition, inclusive education, health, and child protection. Mr Héctor Navarrete Muñoz, Director of CIFAL Mérida and Director of Regional Airports at ASUR, and Mr Fernando Carrera, UNICEF Representative in Mexico, signed the agreement during a ceremony at Mérida International Airport.
In the framework of this collaboration, the eight airports operated by ASUR will serve as active platforms for raising public awareness of the rights of children and adolescents. Activities will include virtual awareness sessions for airport staff, covering key topics such as gender equality, child protection, breastfeeding, and respectful parenting.
A key component of this collaboration is to create lactation rooms in all eight participating airports. Two new lactation rooms will be opened in Cozumel and Oaxaca airports, reflecting the partners' shared commitment to early childhood wellbeing.
CIFAL Merida
With the support of UNICEF, technical guidance for the installation of baby-changing facilities in restrooms, the creation of priority queues for families, and the establishment of lactation rooms in all eight participating airports. Educational materials will be made available to promote exclusive breastfeeding and to support broader policies in favour of this essential practice.
In line with UNITAR’s breastfeeding education efforts, the alliance between CIFAL Merida, ASUR and UNICEF Mexico aims to ensure that accurate, culturally sensitive information is shared with caregivers and families, empowering them to make informed decisions. By creating supportive environments in airports, including designated lactation rooms and awareness materials, this initiative helps normalize breastfeeding in public spaces and reinforces the message that breastfeeding is not only a personal choice but also a public health priority.
In his remarks, Mr Carrera emphasised:
Children need more allies, and this agreement is an example of how the private sector and the United Nations system can work together for children’s rights. This effort is not only logistical; it is a powerful communication action that raises awareness among the thousands of people who pass through these airports each day.
Mr Navarrete Muñoz added:
This alliance is not only an institutional responsibility but also a deep ethical commitment to children. At CIFAL Mérida, we reaffirm that the Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved without ensuring the wellbeing of girls and boys. Today, we take a firm step towards airports that are more humane, better informed, and more compassionate.
To conclude the event, Mr Navarrete was honoured by UNICEF Mexico with the “Ally for Children in Southeast Mexico” award, recognising his leadership in fostering inclusive environments and championing children's rights.
Through this partnership, CIFAL Merida reinforces its commitment to the local implementation of the 2030 Agenda and to Breastfeeding education as essential pillars of early childhood development and maternal health. By working with key partners in the private and international sectors, the organization aims to ensure that no child is left behind.
Mr Fernando Carrera, UNICEF Representative in Mexico
Chuchu Room at Merida International Airport
Chuchu Room at Merida International Airport
BFEI | CIFAL Merida - Airport Breastfeeding "Chuchu Room"
Learn more about the Chuchu Room at Merida International Airport: