Background

The IACHR conducted an observation visit to Chile in January 2020, following the social protests that took place in the country from October 18, 2019, until early 2020 in what came to be known as a "social outbreak." At the end of its observation visit, the IACHR issued preliminary considerations and noted that, while Chile has in place a democratic system with a solid rule of law, the country faced a major challenge to adapt its institutional responses to the democratic complaints of its people and to violence perpetrated in the context of the 2019 social outbreak.

On January 24, 2022, the IACHR approved and published the report Situation of Human Rights in Chile, which compiled the information provided both by the State and by civil society organizations and other stakeholders the Commission met with during its visit. In its report, the IACHR made 60 recommendations to the State of Chile.

Joint Mechanism to Monitor Recommendations held in the report Situation of Human Rights in Chile (MESECH)

Noting the need to ensure that the human rights recommendations held in the IACHR report Situation of Human Rights in Chile are effectively implemented, the IACHR launched talks with the State of Chile to propose the creation of a Joint Mechanism to Monitor Recommendations, in order to foster compliance with the report's recommendations. Following talks with national authorities, the IACHR and the State agreed to create a joint mechanism to monitor compliance with the recommendations held in the report.

The IACHR conducted a promotional visit to Chile over the period May 25–28, 2022, to present its report on the situation of human rights in the country that had been published in January 2022. During the visit, both parties agreed to create a Joint Mechanism to Monitor Recommendations. On December 12, 2022, the IACHR's Rapporteur for Chile, Commissioner Joel Hernández, travelled to the country to meet with high authorities of the State, in order to ensure that the MESECH was set up.

The MESECH has a four-year plan. Its main goal is to support efforts to monitor the recommendations made by the IACHR in its report Situation of Human Rights in Chile. Based on that main goal, the MESECH seeks to apply specialized methods that will enable it to examine and assess progress concerning the report's recommendations, and to develop and implement activities to support the implementation of those recommendations.

The MESECH Work Plan has the following specific goals:

• Develop and apply methods to monitor recommendations that define processes and criteria focused on comprehensive redress and the identification of all victims, progress in investigations and court proceedings, regulations and safeguards linked to the right to social protest, and institutional reform of the police
• Provide assistance to the State of Chile to develop strategies that foster compliance with the recommendations held in the report Situation of Human Rights in Chile, including among others public policy design and institutional culture reform
• Advise the State of Chile about the applicable inter-American human rights standards, to enable an effective implementation of IACHR recommendations
• Work with civil society organizations and victims to encourage dialogue and participation for compliance with IACHR recommendations
• Strengthen communication with civil society organizations to enable the exchange of information about compliance with IACHR recommendations, using the Inter-American SIMORE as the main mechanism
• Evaluate compliance with IACHR recommendations, including indicators that make it possible to measure implementation levels