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Commission for Peace and Understanding Reaches Agreement and Will Deliver Conclusions to President Boric

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After nearly two years of work and evaluating various proposals, the Presidential Commission for Peace and Understanding finalized its main conclusions early this morning.

The report was supposed to be agreed upon before 11:59 PM this Wednesday, but the debate among its members extended for almost an hour. On January 30, a three-month extension had already been requested.

The document was approved by seven votes in favor and one against, cast by the leader of the Victoria Malleco Farmers Association A.G., Sebastián Naveillán.

The text includes the recommendations the body will send to President Gabriel Boric to build a long-term solution to the indigenous conflict in the regions of Biobío, La Araucanía, Los Lagos, and Los Ríos.

The document will first be delivered to the head of state and then released to the press, as sources from Emol explained.

The aim is to address issues such as land restitution to the Mapuche people, justice and recognition, territorial and institutional development, as well as comprehensive reparations for all victims of violence in the area.

However, key points like the recognition of terrorist acts and the number of hectares the State is recommended to hand over to the Mapuche people delayed the discussion.

The commission includes DC Senator Francisco Huenchumilla (chair); former minister Alfredo Moreno (vice-chair); the leader of the Victoria Malleco Farmers Association A.G., Sebastián Naveillán; PS Deputy Emilia Nuyado; former mayor of Tirúa and Mapuche leader Adolfo Millabur; head of the Indigenous Peoples Unit of the Biobío Regional Government, Gloria Callupe; chief of staff to the Governor of La Araucanía, Juan Pablo Lepín; Presidential Commissioner for Peace and Understanding, Víctor Ramos (Executive Secretary); and La Araucanía Senator Carmen Gloria Aravena.

It was the latter who made headlines during the session by announcing her resignation from the Republican Party, denouncing pressure to vote against the commission's conclusions, which she rejected.

Closure of the commission

Once its work concluded, the Commission for Peace and Understanding issued a statement indicating that it had already "fulfilled its mandate, as expressed through Decree No. 14 of the Ministry General Secretariat of the Presidency of 2023."

"The proposal drafted by the commissioners, representing diverse political and social sectors, although not unanimous, achieved the support and broad consensus of seven of the eight participants," the body highlighted.

It also emphasized that "this cross-cutting agreement represents a historic milestone in the search for a path of peace and understanding for the southern regions of Chile. The results of this work will soon be presented to the President of the Republic."

Source:Emol