16 July 2003
The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Rodolfo Stavenhagen, will visit Chile at the invitation of the Government from 18 to 29 July 2003.
With this visit, his first to the country, Mr. Stavenhagen aims to better understand the situation of indigenous peoples in Chile through dialogue with the Government, indigenous communities, civil society, the United Nations team in Chile and other international partners.
The Special Rapporteur’s programme includes meetings with senior Government officials; regional and local authorities; members of indigenous communities; representatives of humanitarian, human rights and development non-governmental organizations; academic institutions, and representatives of the international community.
The Special Rapporteur is expected to visit several communities in the regions of Tarapacá, Antofagasta, Biobío and Temuco, as well as in Santiago, where he will meet with the national, regional and local authorities, indigenous representatives and groups directly assisting indigenous peoples. In particular, he will meet with representatives from the Aymara, Atacameño, Huilliche, Mapuche, Pehuenche, and Rapa Nui communities.
The Special Rapporteur will start his visit in Santiago, where he is expected to deliver on 18 July an opening speech at the “First International Seminar on Indigenous People in the International Context”, organized, among others, by the Ministry of Justice and the Minister of Planning (MIDEPLAN) of Chile. Mr. Stavenhagen will brief participants on the latest developments regarding the promotion and protection of the human rights of indigenous peoples in the Americas.
The Special Rapporteur will also meet with members of the group “Comisión de Verdad y Nuevo Trato”, the National Ombudsman and others, to discuss the latest developments concerning his methods of work and thematic research, as well as on the key role of national institutions in promoting and protecting the human rights of indigenous peoples.
The Rapporteur’s findings and recommendations will be presented to the sixtieth session of the Commission on Human Rights next spring.
For further information, please contact the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, tel: +41 22 917 94 13; or the Office of the Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Santiago, tel: + 562 210 253; or UNDP Santiago : + 562 337 24 52.
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