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The Chilean Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren confirmed this Friday that Chile will allocate 1 million dollars in humanitarian aid for Cuba—equivalent to 862 million Chilean pesos—amid the energy and fuel crisis affecting the island.
The official also emphasized that the contribution does not imply political support for the Cuban government, as reported by Chilean media outlets.
Van Klaveren clarified that the assistance will be channeled through UNICEF, and not given to Cuban authorities.
"It is humanitarian aid to UNICEF, not to the Government of Cuba…," he stated during an official announcement following the last cabinet meeting, in response to criticism from opposition groups regarding the use of fiscal resources abroad.
According to the minister, the money will be allocated to a program to "safeguard essential life-saving services for children," with an emphasis on health, nutrition, and child protection.
The funding will come from the Chile Fund Against Hunger and Poverty, an instrument managed by AGCID in collaboration with the UNDP, and the chancellor argued that "the most practical solution" is to make a monetary contribution with the corresponding accountability.
In his argument, Van Klaveren stated that Chile has a tradition of humanitarian cooperation and recalled that the country has provided assistance in other scenarios, such as Ukraine, Gaza, and during hurricanes in Central America and the Caribbean.
He described the Cuban situation as "dramatic" due to the "enormous shortages" in energy and their consequences on daily life.
In response to political questioning, the chancellor was emphatic: "We do not finance dictatorial regimes"; we provide assistance through international humanitarian organizations," and he expressed willingness to explain the details of the measure in the Senate when it resumes sessions.
The Chilean government insisted that the contribution is strictly humanitarian and focused on children, seeking to dispel the criticism that it constitutes support for the regime in a context of internal budgetary priorities.
Gabriel Boric described the United States embargo as "criminal" this Thursday while announcing the dispatch of humanitarian aid to the island amid the deep energy crisis affecting millions of Cubans.
"The blockade that the United States has imposed on Cuba and which has intensified in recent weeks is criminal and an assault on the human rights of an entire people," the leader wrote on his official X account.
Although he acknowledged that there may be political differences with Havana, he maintained that "nothing justifies the harm being done to children and innocent citizens."
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