CLOSURE OF UNHCR OFFICE IN CHILE

14 March 1996

Press Release
REF/1136

CLOSURE OF UNHCR OFFICE IN CHILE

19960314 GENEVA, 14 March (UNHCR) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today announced the closure of its office in Santiago after 22 years of service to refugees and returnees in Chile. A closure ceremony is scheduled for today at Chile's Presidential Palace. High Commissioner Sadako Ogata will be represented by Assistant High Commissioner Sergio Vieira de Mello.

The UNHCR office in Chile began its work in 1973, a week after the overthrow of the government of Salvador Allende. In the immediate aftermath of the military coup, among the first to suffer the consequences of repression were the refugees settled in Chile, many of whom were detained or felt otherwise menaced.

Carrying out its protection mandate, the UNHCR office in Chile helped thousands of foreign refugees to seek a second country of asylum. Inviolable "safe havens" were created inside Chile where refugees could be lodged and assisted while awaiting a durable solution to their problem. During 1973 and 1974, UNHCR Santiago managed to find resettlement for about 2,600 foreign refugees, helped those opting for repatriation to return to their countries of origin, and assisted the ones who chose to remain in Chile.

Simultaneously, UNHCR offices in neighbouring countries had to cope with the influx of thousands of Chileans escaping military repression. The UNHCR provided protection and legal assistance to more than 200,000 Chileans. In the years that followed, it centred its action in family reunion of Chilean nations with refuges abroad.

The democratic reforms that were brought about since 1988 encouraged the return of refugees. In 1990, the Chilean Government officially requested UNHCR to promote voluntary repatriation. The UNHCR office in Chile was in charge of monitoring the situation of returnees and of solving their legal status.

In early 1994, UNHCR declared the Cessation Clause applicable to Chilean refugees. This decision was adopted by UNHCR in recognition and as a direct result of the positive and fundamental changes in Chilean society in general. The need for asylum no longer existed.

The UNHCR Regional Office in Buenos Aires will now be in charge of promoting refugee legislation and dealing with individual cases in Chile.

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