Together with CEDER of the Universidad de los Lagos and ICCTMW – the Institute for Mapuche Culture, Science and Technology Willinche (ICCTMW)

The International Scientific Seminar: An Evaluation and Perspectives on Indigenous Politics in Chile, took place on Friday April 15, 2011, in the Universidad de los Lagos in Osorno, Chile.

The seminar consisted of presentations by experts from a variety of backgrounds: indigenous leaders, human rights lawyers, anthropologists, public servants, former public servants and a representative of the Sub-Regional Office of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Santiago de Chile.

The seminar thus provided tools to form a critical perspective on indigenous politics in Chile in the last 20 years, from the Mapuche point of view. Moreover, it permitted the analysis of concrete problems in Chile’s laws that directly affect the Mapuche people – like the anti-terrorist legislation and the existence of military jurisdiction – as well as a critical appreciation of the national programs and policy-making on indigenous issues during the last Concertación government. The event also provided a good space to discuss the reach of ILO Convention 169 in Chile, as well as the development of the right to participation and consultation of indigenous peoples – both within the ILO framework as well as within the Inter-American Human Rights System.

María Clara Galvis participated on behalf of DPLF. She gave a presentation in one of the panels and invited the participants to, in addition to ILO Convention 169, take into account other normative instruments such as the American Convention on Human Rights and more in particular, the case law of the Inter-American Court, which has protected the rights of indigenous peoples to their ancestral territories and their natural resources, as well as the right to participate in decisions that affect them.