A Foundation delegation conducted consultations and roundtables with Chilean stakeholders.
Building upon previous technical legal and research support provided to the Constitutional Convention in Chile, a Max Planck Foundation delegation consisting of Managing Director, Johannes Krusemark, Honorary Director, Prof Rüdiger Wolfrum and a Research Fellow, visited Chile from 30 March – 10 April 2022. During this period, the delegation convened various activities aimed at advancing the work of the Chilean Constitutional Convention and enhancing national dialogue on democratic principles.
While in Santiago de Chile, the Foundation met with the Presidency of the Constitutional Convention and convened roundtable discussions with various thematic Commissions of the Convention, including the Commission on Political Systems. During these discussions, topics such as decentralisation and systems of government were examined, and areas for future technical collaboration identified.
The delegation also held consultations with other stakeholders critical to the success of the constitution-making process including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Tribunal, the University of Chile and the Library of Congress.
In addition to these activities, members of the delegation, together with representatives of the German Embassy to Chile, made a trip to the city of Temuco, capital of the Araucanía region in the south of Chile. This area is home to a large indigenous population. While in Temuco, the Foundation met with various state officials and representatives of indigenous communities to discuss issues including decentralisation, the rights of indigenous populations and the promotion of land and property rights.
The Foundation will continue supporting the work of the Constitutional Convention with legal research papers and different activities, always approaching these tasks from a politically neutral and comparative perspective.