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Country information
Chile today
Country facts
Full country name: The Republic of Chile
Area: 756,626 sq km; 292,058 sq miles
Population: Total population: 15,116,435 (men: 7,447,695; women: 7,668,740). Two thirds of the population is concentrated in the central zone.
Capital city: Santiago de Chile
People: Many Chileans are descended from those Spaniards and other immigrants, mainly Europeans, who settled in Chile from the 16th century onwards, although a large number are of mixed European and indigenous ancestry. Estimates of the size of the indigenous community vary considerably but according to the results of the 2002 census 692,192 people identified themselves as belonging to an ethnic group (4.6% of the population). The indigenous community is comprised of the following groups: Mapuche (87.3%), Aymara (7.01%), Atacamenos (3.04%), Quechua, Rapa Nui, Colla, Alacalufe and Yamana.
Languages: The official language is Spanish. The indigenous community also speak Mapuche, Aymara and Quechua, amongst others.
Religion(s): Roman Catholic 69.96%, Evangelical 15.14% (officially defined in Chile as all non-Catholic Christian churches except the Orthodox, the Mormons, the Seventh Day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses), other Christian churches 2.04%, other religions (including Jews and Muslims) 4.55%, and atheists/indifferent 8.3%.
Currency: Peso
Major political parties: Partido Demócrata Cristiano (DC) (Christian Democrats); Partido Socialista (PS) (Socialists); Partido por la Democracia (PPD) (Party for Democracy); Partido Radical Social Democrata (PRSD) (Radical Social Democratic Party); Renovación Nacional (RN) (National Renewal); Unión Demócrata Independiente (UDI) (Independent Democratic Union).
Government: Chile has a republican system of government consisting of 3 separate and independent branches: the Executive Branch, which is headed by the President, who in turn is advised by a Cabinet of (unelected) Ministers; the Legislative Branch, which consists of a bicameral National Congress located in Valparaíso and comprising the Senate and Chamber of Deputies; and the Judicial Branch, headed by the Supreme Court. These institutions are defined in the 1980 Constitution (amended 2005). The President is directly elected for a 4-year term (reduced from 6 years by the new government on 11 March 2006).
Head of State and Government: President Michelle Bachelet Jeria
Foreign Minister: Alejandro Foxley
Health
In the UN Development Programme's Human Development Index for 2007, Chile is ranked 40th among the 177 ranked countries. This is two places higher than in 2005. From 1987 to 1998 the percentage of the population living in poverty fell from 45% to 21.7%. But social pressures remain despite the strong economic growth of recent years. One particular challenge is the unequal structure of income distribution. In 2000 the wealthiest 10% of the population received 42.3% of combined national income, while the poorest 10% received 1.1%.
Life expectancy: 76.0 years;
Infant mortality rate: 10 per 1,000 live births (2002)
People aged 15-49 living with HIV/AIDS: 0.3% (2003)
Population living below the national poverty line (%), 1990-2001: 17
Economy
Basic economic facts
Nominal GDP: US$141 billion (2005)
Nominal GDP per head: US$8,630 (2006)
Annual growth: 4.0% (2007) – 2008 forecast 4.58-5.5%
Currency: Chilean Peso July 2008 £1 = 988 or U$1 = 499)
Inflation: 8.5%
Unemployment: 7.3% (February 2008)
Major industries: Copper mining; other mining (gold, nitrates, molybdenum, iron and silver); wood and wood products; fish and fishmeal; fruits and wine.
| Chilean exports | vs | Chilean imports |
|---|---|---|
| Asia 31.5% | Mercosur 30% | |
| NAFTA 24.1% | NAFTA 17.3% | |
| EU 23.7% | EU 16.8% | |
| Mercosur 5.8% | Asia 16.5 | |
| Others 14.8% | Others 19.4% |
Chile is widely seen as one of the most stable emerging market economies and has a record of high growth. Spurred on by an early commitment to market-oriented reform and international openness, Chile was the first Latin American country to privatise state enterprises, reduce tariffs, liberalise investment and open its doors to foreign capital. This, combined with tight fiscal and monetary policies, led to record growth averaging 7.6% per annum in the 10 years to 1998. Strong annual GDP growth continued in 2006 at 5.5% largely on the back of continued high copper prices. but dipped to 4% in 2007.
Chile has an open economy which thrives on foreign trade – bilateral free trade agreements cover over 80% of Chile's import/exports. Import tariffs are low. In 2006 exports (principally copper-led) totalled US$59bn and imports US$36bn. However, non-copper exports also continue to enjoy strong growth. The trade surplus in 2006 reached US$23bn (up from US$10bn in 2005). The Central Bank's overnight reference interest rate is currently 6.25% Inflation in the year to March 2008 stood at 8.5%, up from the 7.8% yearly rate for 2007 which was itself the highest annual level since 1995. .
Santiago's Selective Share Index (IPSA) – the principal stock market - closed in March 2008 at 2902, a drop of 4.9% on its start of year level. Share trading for the first quarter was 7.2% below the equivalent level in 2007. The stock market continues to be driven by Chile's pension fund administrators who have combined assets of around U$100bn.
At February 2008 unemployment stood at 7.3%.
Chile has an extensive network of bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements (FTAs), including with the EU, the US, South Korea, Mexico, Japan and Canada. An agreement on free trade in goods with China came into force in October 2006 and the two countries concluded negotiations on an agreement on services in March 2007. The so-called P4 economic association agreement including Chile, New Zealand, Singapore and Brunei came into force in November 2006. In August 2006, Chile and Peru signed the first FTA between two South American countries. Agreements with Colombia, Ecuador and Panama are currently before Congress. Chile is also in the process of negotiating FTAs with India and Australia.
Exports – principally copper, forestry and fish products, fruit and vegetables and wine – continue to enjoy strong growth due to strong international prices. Chile is the world's largest producer of copper, which made up 40% of the country's exports in 2005. In March 2008, the international copper price reached a new record of US$4/1b. Pundits continue to forecast strong prices due to continued strong Chinese demand plus low international inventories (warehouse stocks).
As with many emerging economies, Chile's most immediate economic challenge is matching energy demand with supply. However, this problem has been made worse with natural gas supplies being severely cut from Argentina. Chile is trying to move quickly to diversifying its energy supply matrix by developing LNG (liquid natural gas), hydro, coal and wind. Chile needs an additional 7,000MW of supply over the next 10 years to keep up with increased demand.
History
Key dates
Chilean territory was among the last to be populated in Latin America. Prehispanic Chile was home to over a dozen different groups of indigenous people. The 3 main cultural groups were Incan, Mapuche and Patagonian.
1520 – Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan lands at Chiloé Island. The region is known then to its native population as Tchili.
1536-37 – the beginning of the Spanish conquest of what is now Chile, when forces under the conquistador Diego de Almagro invaded from Peru.
12 February 1541 – Pedro de Valdivia founded the city of Santiago.
18 September 1810 – the first move towards independence was made when an open town meeting in Santiago decided to accept the resignation of the Spanish-appointed Governor and replace him with an oligarchy of locally elected leaders. 18 September is now officially celebrated as Chilean National Day.
1-2 October 1814 – a Royalist (pro-Spanish) army defeated the local leaders at the Battle of Rancagua, which enabled Spain to reassert control over the colony.
12 February 1817 – Independence forces defeated a Royalist army at the Battle of Chacabuco, after which Bernardo O'Higgins was proclaimed the first head of state of an independent Chile.
5 April 1818 – the Royalist forces were decisively defeated at the Battle of Maipú and independence was finally achieved.
1879-83 – War of the Pacific against Peru and Bolivia. Chile gained the coastal region of Bolivia and the Peruvian provinces of Tarapacá and Arica. To this day Bolivia continues to dispute by diplomatic means the loss of its sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean.
11 September 1973 – the government of President Allende was overthrown by a military junta headed by General Augusto Pinochet.
5 October 1988 – a plebiscite was held in which the electorate voted against granting General Pinochet a further 8-year term of office as President.
December 1989 – democratic presidential and legislative elections were held. Patricio Aylwin was elected President for a 4-year term and took office on 11 March 1990.
11 March 2006 - Michelle Bachelet sworn in as President.
10 December 2006 - Former General and President Augusto Pinochet died.
International relations
Relations with neighbours
Chile has frontiers with Argentina, Peru and Bolivia and has had historical rivalries with each of these neighbours. Chile expanded to its present size in the 1880s. Following her victory over Peru and Bolivia in the War of the Pacific (1879-83), Chile gained the northern provinces of Antofagasta (from Bolivia) and Tarapacá (from Peru). There has been no armed conflict between Chile and her neighbours since 1883, but memories of the war and its territorial consequences have been an enduring source of tension in their relations ever since. It was not until 1999 that Chile and Peru signed an agreement which finally completed implementation of the peace settlement in respect of their land frontier. Chile and Bolivia have not had full diplomatic relations since 1978, when Bolivia broke them off in pursuit of her continuing claim for restoration of her sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean, which was lost in the war.
Chile's relations with her neighbours have, however, grown progressively stronger in recent years. In 1984 Chile and Argentina signed a Treaty of Peace and Friendship following the settlement of the Beagle Channel Dispute, and in the 1990s the two countries settled over 20 other delimitation disputes. Although occasional diplomatic tensions continue with Peru, including over the delimitation of maritime borders, the political relationship is cordial: President Toledo of Peru attended the inauguration of President Bachelet in March 2006. Over the last 10 years Chile and Bolivia have, despite their lack of full diplomatic relations, established closer contacts and discussed possible cooperation in areas such as bilateral trade, economic integration and energy links. In 2000 Bolivia appointed a Consul General in Santiago, a move reciprocated by Chile in 2001. In December 2005, Chile signed its first bilateral agreement with Bolivia: a trade agreement granting a zero tariff to all the Bolivian products imported in Chile, except for flours and their by-products. The 2 countries will also sign an agreement that allows the citizens of both Bolivia and Chile to travel to the other country without needing either a visa or a passport. Former President Lagos' attendance at the inauguration of Bolivian President Evo Morales was seen as a first step in new relations between the 2 countries. Nevertheless, the Bolivian claim for access to the Pacific may continue to hamper further development of relations.
Chile's relations with the international community
The Government of Chile has defined 4 foreign policy goals: giving priority to Latin America; strengthening Chile's presence in multilateral institutions; implementing trade agreements reached with the EU, US and South Korea; and consolidating Chile's presence in the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum.
Like Europe, Asia accounts for a fifth of Chile's foreign trade. Chile is a member of APEC, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation organisation. APEC exists to promote economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region, and has helped to reduce tariffs and other trade barriers. APEC's membership comprises 21 economies in the region. Chile chaired the organisation in 2004. The annual Asia-Pacific Leaders' Meeting was held in Chile on 20-21 November 2004.
Chile is also an Associate Member of Mercosur, the common market of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Venezuela. Although Chile has not yet joined the Mercosur trade area, it is politically committed to Mercosur's strategic vision of regional political and economic integration. Like Bolivia, Chile participates in Mercosur's Political Consultation and Coordination Forum.
Chile is an active member of the United Nations and was one of the non-permanent members of the Security Council for the period from 1 January 2003 until 31 December 2004. Chile's involvement in the UN includes a contribution of personnel from the armed forces to the UN Peacekeeping Forces in Cyprus (UNFICYP) and Haiti (MINUSTAH).
Chile is also a member of the Organisation of American States (OAS). In May 2005, the former Chilean Interior Minister, José Miguel Insulza, was elected Secretary General. In May 2007 Chile was officially invited to join the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation) where it would be the only Latin American member after Mexico. The invitation has been seen as recognition of Chile's economic and political stability.
In May 2007 Chile was officially invited to join the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation) where it would be the only Latin American member after Mexico. The invitation has been seen as recognition of Chile's economic and political stability.
Relations with the European Union (EU)
On 18 November 2002, the EU and Chile signed an Association Agreement to liberalise trade and increase political dialogue and co-operation between the two sides. Most of the Trade Chapter came into force on 1 February 2003. The Chilean National Congress has completed its ratification procedures for the Agreement, as have now all EU members. The UK was among the first EU member states to ratify the Agreement.
The Agreement replaces the EU/Chile Framework and Co-operation Agreement of 1996. It establishes an area of free trade in goods, services, public contracts, liberalisation of investment and capital flows, and protection of intellectual property rights. With effect from 1 February 2003, 91% of EU products could be imported into Chile tariff-free and 85% of Chilean products could enter the EU tariff-free. All remaining tariffs will be phased out by 2010.
In September 2002 Chile and the EU signed a scientific and technological co-operation agreement. The agreement allows scientists to take part in the other side's research programmes and provides for visits and exchanges, joint conferences and workshops, scientific networks and training, and for the exchange and sharing of facilities and equipment.
Relations with the UK
Our relations have historic roots. Bernardo O'Higgins, one of the heroes of Chile's struggle for independence from Spain, who became the country's first head of state, received part of his education in Richmond upon Thames. Admiral Lord Cochrane, a famous Royal Navy officer, founded the Chilean Navy and fought successfully in defence of Chilean independence in the early 19th century. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the British led the commercial development of the nitrate fields in northern Chile.
The modern relationship between Britain and Chile encompasses political dialogue, trade and investment, defence, science, culture and education, as well as social ties. The 2 countries have a shared interest in removing barriers to trade, promoting sustainable development, opposing international terrorism and fighting the illegal trade in drugs. There is an extensive programme of cooperation between the two countries on climate change and energy issues. A recently opened area of co-operation is peace support operations. Since October 2003 a Chilean Army platoon has served alongside British Army peacekeepers in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Cultural Relations with the UK
The British Council, the UK's international organisation for educational and cultural relations, has an office in Santiago to promote bilateral links. The overarching aims of the British Council in Chile are to promote UK education, to build partnerships between British and Chilean experts in the fields of governance and human rights and to win recognition of British artistic creativity. Further information about the work of the Council is available on its website. The website of the British Embassy in Santiago includes a section containing information about local events and activities for the British-Chilean Community in Chile.
In November 2008 the Chilean Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxley visited the UK to sign a scholarship agreement between Chile, Universities UK and the Russell Group. The education agreement is direct follow-up to the commitment made by the Prime Minister and President Bachelet during her visit to London in April to expand educational links between the UK and Chile. Chile is investing USD$6billion (funded by reserves from the boom in copper prices) in an ambitious programme to expand the numbers of Chileans studying overseas. At present, Chile funds 200 overseas students; their target is to be funding 6500 by 2012. They want a significant number of these students to study in the UK. So do we and the British Council is playing an important role.
British Council, Chile
Scientific links with the UK
The European Southern Observatory (ESO), a nine country European inter-governmental organisation for astronomical research, operates 2 major observatories in the Atacama Desert in Chile. The UK joined ESO in July 2002. The UK is also a member of the Gemini Observatory, a 7-country collaborative project that has constructed 2 identical 8-metre telescopes in both hemispheres, the first (Gemini North) at Mauna Kea in Hawaii and the second (Gemini South) at Cerro Pachon in Chile. The Gemini partner countries include the UK, the United States, Argentina and Chile. Membership of ESO and Gemini will help to keep the UK at the forefront of international astronomical research.
Recent inward visits
- President Michelle Bachelet visited the UK in April 2008 as a Guest of Government. During her visit she had an audience of HM The Queen at Windsor Castle, a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister and a lunch with senior City figures hosted by the Lord Mayor. President Bachelet also gave speeches on globalisation and and democracy in Latin America (at Lancaster House and the LSE respectively) and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Essex.. She also participated in the Progressive Governance Summit on “Promoting Prosperity” on 4-5 April in Hertfordshire. She was accompanied for her visit by Finance Minister Andres Velasco, Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxley and Environment Minister Ana Lya Uriarte.
- Several Chilean Ministers visited the UK in 2006 including Minister for Public Works Eduardo Bitran in May, Minister for Mining and Energy Karen Poniachik in October and Minister for Transport Sergio Espejo in November.
- Former President Lagos visited the UK on 12 October 2005, accompanied by Former Foreign Minister Ignacio Walker. They met the Prime Minister and Her Majesty The Queen.
- Foreign Minister Walker also called on Secretary of State Jack Straw and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Lord Triesman on 17 October 2005.
- A parliamentary delegation from Chile visited the UK from 27-28 January 2005.
Recent outward visits
- Dr Kim Howells MP, Minister of State at the FCO with responsibility for Latin America, visited Chile from 9-12 March. He led the UK delegation to the second round of UK-Chile High Level Political Talks and held meetings with President Bachelet, Energy Minister Marcelo Tokman, Environment Minister Ana Lya Uriarte and UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Climate Change, former President Ricardo Lagos. Members of the All-Party Chile Group of the Houses of Parliament visited Chile from 4-8 September 2007. They held meetings with the Acting Foreign Minister, Alberto van Klaveren and members of the UK/Chile Groups of both houses of the Chilean Congress.
- Members of the All-Party Chile Group of the Houses of Parliament visited Chile from 4-8 September 2007. They held meetings with the Acting Foreign Minister, Alberto van Klaveren and members of the UK/Chile Groups of both houses of the Chilean Congress.
- The Rt Hon John Hutton MP, the then Work and Pensions Secretary, visited Santiago from 15-18 March 2007 to participate in a seminar on Globalisation and the New Social Model. In addition to discussions with President Bachelet, he held meetings with the then Minister for the Presidency, Paulina Veloso, and his opposite number Osvaldo Andrade.
- HRH Princess Anne visited Chile from 22 – 25th January 2007. During her stay she visited the Chilean Antarctic Institute in Punta Arenas, British communities in Punta Arena and Valparaiso/Vina del Mar, Paicabi (a child protection NGO), and took part in a number of Navy-related activities. In Santiago she participated in a Royal and Sun Alliance Corporate Social Responsibility project in school in an underprivileged sector, a scout fundraising event, and unveiled a plaque to commemorate the opening of new headquarters of the British and Commonwealth Fire Company.
- Lord Triesman visited Chile on 18 and 19 December 2006. He met Foreign Minister Foxley, Minister to the President Veloso and Deputy Defence Minister Garcia, as well as co-chairing the first-ever UK-Chile High Level Political Talks with his opposite number Alberto van Klaveren.
- First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sir Jonathon Band KCB ADC, visited the Chilean city of Valparaiso to attend ExpoNaval, the biennial maritime and defence trade fair.
- Lord Bach, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, visited Chile 9-13 March 2006 to represent the UK at the inauguration of President Bachelet.
- The Lord Mayor of London visited Chile 7 – 11 September 2005. His engagements included calls on the Economy Minister, the President of the Stock Exchange and the Mayor of Santiago.
- The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, visited Chile from 2-3 March 2005. His engagements included a meeting with the President and the Foreign Minister, a lunch in the Diplomatic Academy, a VIP dinner at the Ambassador's Residence, visits to the British-Chilean Institute of Culture and the Circo del Mundo (a youth development circus), and the inauguration of the British and Commonwealth Fire Company's new site.
Geography
Chile's boundaries are geographically well defined: to the west is the Pacific Ocean; to the east the Andes mountains; to the north is the Atacama desert, the driest in the World; and to the south are the icefields and glaciers of Chilean Patagonia. There are wide variations of soil and climate between these features. Overall the climate is temperate with a desert climate in the north, a Mediterranean climate in the central region and cool and damp in the south. Chile shares frontiers with Argentina, Peru and Bolivia. Its 4,500km coastline includes an amazing assortment of archipelagos and channels south of Puerto Montt. Although Chile is 4,329km long, at no point is it wider than 180km. Chile's sovereign territory includes some Pacific islands, among them Easter Island, and it has a claim to a sector of Antarctica.
Trade and investment
Trade and investment with the UK
From 2005-06 UK exports to Chile grew 20% from £152 million to £187 million. UK imports from Chile reached £485 million as compared to a total of £530 million in 2006. Chile is the UK's fourth largest export market in South America after Brazil, Venezuela and Argentina. The UK's main exports to Chile are beverages, brand medicines, auto parts, specialised machinery, power generation equipment, paper and cardboard, and plastics.
Chile's biggest exports to the UK were gold, wine (the UK is the largest market in the world for Chilean wine), copper, silver, wood and wood pulp, table grapes, frozen chicken (we take roughly 25% of total chicken exports from Chile), cardboard, molybdenum and methane.
The UK is the fourth largest foreign investor in Chile, behind the US, Spain and Canada, with almost 10% of total investment in the country over the period 1974-2004. Britain's largest investments over this period have been in the Mining sector (roughly 65% of the total £2.3 billion invested by the UK). Significant investment has also been made in Industry (10.5% of the £2.3 billion total), Services (8.5%) and Water (7%). Most recently ED&F Man gained control of Chile's largest sugar producer Iansa, Royal Sun Alliance acquired Chile's leading insurer (US$120 million), and British Gas entered into exclusive negotiations to build/supply a US$900 million LNG (liquid natural gas) terminal on the Chilean coast. A UK-Chile Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (IPPA) was ratified in April 1997. A bilateral Double Taxation Agreement came into force in January 2005.
UK Trade & Investment Country Profile: Chile
UK development assistance
The UK Department for International Development does not have a bilateral aid programme in Chile, as it does in some of the poorer Latin American countries. But the British Government, through its Embassy in Santiago, funds a number of technical cooperation projects, visits, exchanges and scholarships. Information regarding our projects and scholarships can be found on the Embassy's website.
Politics
Chile has made a successful transition from military government to stable democracy. It has a successful, liberal market economy. There is a free, though somewhat conservative, media and low levels of corruption. (In Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index 2006, Chile is the highest ranked Latin American country and is 20 out of 163 countries overall.) Since returning to democracy in 1990, Chile has been governed by four consecutive centre-left coalition governments, formed by the Concertación bloc of parties. The Concertación comprises the Christian Democrats, the Party for Democracy, the Socialist Party and the Radicals. The leaders of the first 2 Concertación governments, Presidents Aylwin and Eduardo Frei, were both Christian Democrats. The successor, Ricardo Lagos, was therefore Chile's first Socialist Head of State since the overthrow of President Allende in 1973. On 15 January 2006, Socialist Michelle Bachelet, also representing the Concertación, won the Presidential elections to become Chile's first female President. Bachelet will govern until 2010, as the Constitutional Reform of 2005 reduced presidential terms to 4 years from the current 6.
Bachelet does not represent a major change of direction for Chile: Chile's successful economic model has not changed. Achieving higher rates of economic growth is a priority for Chile, but the government is seeking to combine this with social justice, poverty alleviation and a reduction of big inequalities in income between the rich and the poor. The government is also pursuing a programme to reform the health, social security and education systems as well as further constitutional reform. The government had been handicapped however, by its lack of a commanding majority in Congress. This changed in December 2005, when, for the first time, the centre-left coalition obtained a majority in the parliamentary elections.
Chile has a bicameral parliament, the National Congress, which consists of the Senate (upper house) and the Chamber of Deputies. The Senate currently has 38 members elected by popular vote. Senators serve for 8-year terms. Elections are held every 4 years to choose half the elected members of the Senate and all the members of the Chamber of Deputies. The most recent elections were held on 11 December 2005, when 20 of the 38 Senators and all of the deputies (120 in total) were elected. The Concertación gained more seats than its opposition in both houses (deputies and senators) for the first time. It now has 20 seats in the Senate compared to 17 seats for the Alliance for Chile (and one independent), and 65 deputies, compared to 54 for the Alliance of Chile (and one independent).
Constitutional reform
On 16 August 2005 a bill embodying 58 constitutional reforms was approved by Congress, and endorsed by then President Lagos. Lagos made the reforms an objective of his government and they came into effect on 11 March 2006. This is the first major reform of congress since 1980. The key features of the reforms include:
- Presidential terms reduced from 6 years to 4.
- The end of designated senators and 'senators for life' (previously awarded to former Presidents), leaving just 38 senators elected by popular vote
- Responsibility removed from the armed forces as 'institutional guarantors'; the change in functions of the National Security Council (Cosena); and the restoration of power to the president to remove the commanders-in-chief of the armed forces and the forces of order.
The reform is a milestone for Chile's continuing transition to democracy as it eliminates the so-called 'authoritarian enclaves' (military government appointees who had occupied seats in the Senate and who have traditionally been a block to reforms proposed by the governing left-wing coalition).
The modification of the binominal electoral system (another Pinochet legacy which gives disproportionate representation to the right) was another aspiration of President Lagos, but he did not succeed in gaining the support of all the political forces in order to change it. Nonetheless it has opened up the debate in Chile and the then President-elect Michelle Bachelet made an election promise to reform the electoral system during her Presidential term.
Human rights
Chile has ratified the following international human rights treaties:
- International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
- International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination;
- Convention on the Rights of the Child;
- Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women;
- Convention against Torture or other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Chile is also a Party to the American Convention on Human Rights and has accepted the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights based in San José.
UK support for human rights
The British Embassy in Santiago monitors human rights developments closely and promotes human rights in Chile.
In the area of child rights, we have provided funding for a child protection website, which features an online counselling section for abused children. We have also organised a seminar and workshops on the trafficking law, to raise awareness of the protection offered to the children (and adults) who are trafficked within Chile and across its borders.
In the area of justice, we supported a 3-year project on the protection of human rights in the Chilean prison system, in co-operation the Ministry of Justice and the International Centre for Prison studies. We also sponsored a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) seminar on 'Access to Justice', attending which will be a British speaker from the Law Centres Federation.
The Embassy also places great importance on supporting the government's environmental policy, and we do this by backing projects in this area. For example we held a seminar in July 2005 on Responsible Tourism, which brought together representatives from the environmental agencies, tourism companies and agencies, academics, environmentalists, the government, and local community groups (including from Rapa Nui or 'Easter Island'). We have also sponsored a 'Wetlands' project, aimed at protecting one of the fragile wetlands areas of Chile, by educating the local community and encouraging their involvement in its protection. We are currently working on a new range of initiatives relating to Climate Change and Energy Efficiency for 2007-2008.
