UN Expert In The Field Of Cultural Rights To Visit Chile

GENEVA (22 March 2024) – The Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Alexandra Xanthaki, will conduct an official visit to Chile from 25 March to 5 April 2024, at the invitation of the Government.

During her visit, Xanthaki will consider a number of issues related to the enjoyment of cultural rights. She will focus in particular on the right of all to participate in the cultural life of their choice through all means of expression, including the arts; the right to access and engage with the cultural expressions of others; and the measures, spaces and policies fostering cultural diversity and interculturality in Chile. She will also examine the right of all to participate meaningfully in decision-making processes that affect their cultural rights, including in policies related to sustainable and cultural development.

The expert will seek to understand, in a spirit of cooperation and dialogue, how the Chilean authorities strive to implement the cultural rights of all, with a particular focus on the rights of Afro-Chileans, migrants and Indigenous Peoples.

The Special Rapporteur will meet with central and local Government officials, heads of public institutions or bodies, academics, experts, as well as artists, cultural actors and civil society organisations working in areas relevant to her mandate. She will travel to Arica, Rapa Nui, Santiago and Valparaíso to hear the voices of people from different parts of the country.

Xanthaki will hold a press conference on Friday 5 April at 14:00 (local time) at the United Nations Office, Dag Hammarskjold 3477, Vitacura, Santiago. Access will be strictly limited to journalists.

The Special Rapporteur will present her report to the Human Rights Council in March 2025.

*The experts: Ms. Alexandra Xanthaki (Greece) was appointed by the Human Rights Council as UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights in October 2021. Ms. Xanthaki works as a Professor of Laws at Brunel University London, United Kingdom. Throughout her academic career, Ms. Xanthaki has published over 50 publications relating to the cultural rights of minorities and indigenous peoples, cultural diversity, cultural heritage, balancing cultural rights with other rights and interests, and multiculturalism and integration in international human rights law. She has worked with NGOs, civil society and has consulted States on such issues.

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