Development Minister at UN: 'Peru is committed to investing in human capital'

Photo: Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion of Peru

Photo: Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion of Peru

10:13 | New York (U.S.), Feb. 4.

"Peru's new social contract places economic autonomy at the center of public policy," Development and Social Inclusion Minister Lesly Shica stated during her participation in the 64th session of the United Nations Commission for Social Development (CSocD64), held in New York, United States.

"In Peru, this commitment is expressed through a clear decision: to invest in human capital and opportunities, not merely assistance. We protect today, but we enable opportunities for tomorrow," she stressed.

Addressing her counterparts from various countries on Tuesday, the government official reported that the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion (Midis) has a budget of S/7.584 billion (about US$2.253 billion) for the current year.

The minister explained that the funds will be invested across three strategic pillars aligned with the National Policy toward 2030: early childhood development and youth; entrepreneurship and economic inclusion; plus food security and school feeding.

With regard to the first stage of life, she highlighted the approval of the first State policy focused on Early Childhood Development, which transcends government terms and places children at the center of the public agenda.

"We foster progress through social investment across the life cycle, through interventions that protect the most vulnerable population," she stated.


Moving beyond cash transfers

Regarding youth in vulnerable situations, Minister Shica said that youth from households enrolled in the Juntos (Together) program gain access to technical training, financial advisory services, and support for the development of entrepreneurial ventures.

"In Peru in 2026, being young and poor is no longer a sentence of exclusion, but a pathway to opportunity," she indicated, recalling her own roots in Lima's San Juan de Lurigancho district.

Within the entrepreneurship and economic inclusion pillar, Minister Shica stressed that Midis' social programs—serving more than 10 million beneficiaries nationwide—are aimed at fostering sustainable income generation and strengthening enterprises, enabling users to move beyond cash transfers.

"This is not managed from the capital, Lima. Local coordination has been reactivated so that every mayor is held accountable," she underlined.

(END) NDP/JOT/MVB

Published: 2/4/2026