International Day of the World’s Indigenous Women and Girls: From Indigenous Knowledge and Territory to Action at the United Nations
On the first official observance of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Women and Girls, Images for Inclusion Inc reflects on the knowledge, leadership, rights and resistance of Indigenous women and girls—from ancestral territories to action at the United Nations. Read about the significance of A/RES/80/10 and CEDAW General Recommendation No. 39, IFI’s advocacy at UNPFII25, and the urgent need to make violence against Indigenous women and girls visible through disaggregated data, justice and accountability.
Accountability in Chile: IFI Demands Formal State Response to Protect Traditional Seeds and Trafkintü
— On August 5, 2026, Images for Inclusion Inc filed a historic legal-administrative challenge at La Moneda Palace in Santiago to defend indigenous food sovereignty and protect ancestral seed bartering (Trafkintü) from rigid agro-industrial commerce regulations. Following an official electronic case tracking update from the Presidency of Chile on August 28, 2026, our field and legal teams are preparing an on-site deployment to enforce strict statutory compliance.
IFI in Panamá at the First meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) of the CBD relating to Indigenous Peoples and local communities (SB8J-1) / Oct. 2025
In Panamá, from 27–30 October 2025, Images for Inclusion Inc (IFI) participated in the historic first meeting of the newly established permanent Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) (SB8J-1) under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Represented by President and CEO Lidia Arriagada Garcia. There, critical discussions addressed Indigenous Peoples’ rights, territories, traditional knowledge, FPIC, self-determination and full and effective participation.
We invite you to read about IFI’s participation in this historic first meeting.
Images for Inclusion Inc Seeks New Director / Corporate Secretary (UNCOMPENSATED)
Director / Corporate Secretary — Board Vacancy (UNCOMPENSATED)
We have officially launched a Board successor search for a dedicated human rights professional to fill a vital vacancy on our Board of Directors. This upcoming blog post outlines the specific legal, administrative, and governance responsibilities tied to this uncompensated, volunteer Corporate Secretary position. Read the full update below to review our candidate selection criteria, compliance expectations, and instructions on how to submit your formal expression of interest before our September 2026 deadline.
Click here to read the full blog post and review the requirements.
The president & CEO of our NGO participated in a Conversation on “the current challenges of Indigenous Policy,” in Santiago, Chile
Santiago, Chile, August 9, 2026. — The conversation brought together Salvador Millaleo (Mapuche), Rayen Alarcón (Mapuche), and Samuel Yupanqui (Quechua), to reflect on the main challenges currently facing Indigenous policy in Chile, including the lack of institutional responses, risks of regression in rights, the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous participation and consultation, the effective ability to influence decision-making, Indigenous institutions, territorial representation, Indigenous women’s leadership, and the political, legal, and community-based strategies needed to move forward.
We invite you to read our blog!
Second Open Letter Delivered to La Moneda in Chile: IFI Challenges President Boric Over the Illegality of the Mapuche Land Consultation Process, Demanding Revocation
On Monday December 02, 2025, Santiago, Chile, and in a powerful escalation of its human rights advocacy, Images for Inclusion Inc (IFI), an NGO with ECOSOC Consultative Status at the UN, traveled to the Capital of Chile, to deliver its Second Open Letter directly to President Gabriel Boric at La Moneda Palace. The letter formally accuses the government's Indigenous Consultation Process about a New Mapuche Land System of Manifest Illegality, Vitiated Purpose, and Financial Arbitrariness. IFI demands the immediate revocation of the consultation, citing profound legal and administrative failures that constitute a persistent challenge to the rule of law. Read more…
The Diplomatic Challenge to the State Rhetoric: IFI Exposes Flaws in Chile’s Mapuche Land Consultation Process at the Human Rights Council, Counter-Narrative Preceding its Suspension
On September 25, 2025, Geneva, Switzerland, the fight to protect the Mapuche Nation from Chile's flawed consultation process reached a dramatic climax at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). After months of unanswered appeals, our organization was forced to execute a last-minute diplomatic intervention.
IFI President, Lidia Arriagada Garcia, personally met with Dr. Albert K. Barume, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, to hand-deliver our legal analysis. This essential action was designed to neutralize a high-stakes Side Event where Chilean officials were seeking international political endorsement for a process we denounce as illegitimate, arbitrary, and a strategy of evasion.
The stakes were clear: either the UN mechanism would be exploited for "Political Makeup," or IFI would force the debate back to the fundamental principles of FPIC (Free, Prior, and Informed Consent) and the historical treaties the State refuses to honor.
Read the full report below to see how IFI countered the State's narrative and what legal arguments were validated by the UN Special Rapporteur.
IFI’s Interventions at the 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council Exposing Chile's International obligations Avoidance
The United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, Switzerland, served as the critical stage for Images for Inclusion to challenge the Chilean State's systemic failure to implement Indigenous Peoples' Rights. During the 60th Session in September 2025, IFI delivered two urgent public interventions aimed at exposing Chile's intentional strategies for avoiding its international obligations. The first intervention, concerning extractive industries, directly targeted Supreme Decree N° 66 of 2013, condemning its flaw that allows consultation to be deemed "fulfilled even if no agreement or consent is reached," thereby gutting the binding principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). The following day, IFI strategically used the General Debate to denounce a serious lapse in UN due diligence within an advisory report and publicly condemned Chile's ongoing process for omitting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). By entering these specific legal critiques into the public HRC record, IFI's actions built a foundation of accountability that immediately preceded their successful direct diplomatic engagement with the Special Rapporteur, ultimately setting the stage for a major breakthrough.
From New York to La Moneda: We Delivered Our Open Letter in person in defense of the Mapuche People
In Santiago, Chile, an unprecedented move, our NGO, Images for Inclusion, embarked on a journey from New York to Chile to deliver an "Open Letter" primarily to the President of Chile, Mr. Gabriel Boric Font. Lidia Arriagada García, president of our NGO personally delivered the letter at the Presidential Palace, La Moneda, and also at the Bicentenario Building for the Minister of the Interior. We took this significant step after previous attempts to reach officials by email were ignored, and there was no direct electronic access to the President. The letter demands the immediate revocation of a government consultation on Indigenous lands, which we have labeled as "illegitimate, arbitrary, and in bad faith". We argue the process is flawed, based on a "defective" legal framework that avoids genuine Indigenous consent, excludes half of the Mapuche People, and ignores international law. Ultimately, our message is clear and direct: "the consultation is not consent".
Images for Inclusion acusa a Chile de "despojo encubierto, perverso y de mala fe" en consulta sobre tierras Mapuche y apela a la ONU
Nuestra ONG ha enviado una apelación urgente al Relator Especial de la ONU sobre los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas. Denunciamos que la "Consulta Previa sobre un Nuevo Sistema de Tierras Mapuche" de Chile es un acto de "despojo encubierto" que viola múltiples acuerdos y declaraciones internacionales. Calificamos el proceso de "viciado de origen" debido a la exclusión masiva del Pueblo Mapuche, la omisión de la Declaración de la ONU (UNDRIP), la falta de perspectiva de género y la vulneración del principio de consentimiento, lo que podría exponer al Estado chileno a graves condenas internacionales.
Statement on the First and Second Human Rights Council Meeting to Enhance Indigenous Peoples' Participation
The First and second intersessional meeting of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, focused on enhancing the participation of Indigenous Peoples, represented a historic milestone. This gathering not only reaffirmed the commitment to the universal principles of the UN Charter but also sought to rectify historical exclusions, allowing the voices, cultures, and concerns of Indigenous Peoples to be fully heard.
Images for Inclusion: International Advocacy and Engagement for Indigenous Peoples' Rights at the UN Dialogue in Chile
On October 25 and 26, 2023, Santiago, Chile, Images for Inclusion, traveled from our base in New York to participate in a truly significant event: the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Regional Dialogue of the Americas 'Indigenous Peoples and Access to Justice'. This event was organized by the Regional Office for South America of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). It was a powerful opportunity for learning, engagement, and affirmation of our work.
Leading the Way: Images for Inclusion's Transformative Impact for Indigenous Peoples' Rights at COP16
On October 2024, at COP16 in Cali, Colombia, Images for Inclusion was instrumental in shaping a landmark outcome for Indigenous Peoples' Rights. Our dedicated efforts culminated in the emotional adoption of a permanent Subsidiary Body, giving Indigenous Peoples a vital voice in global biodiversity conservation. While we celebrate this achievement, Images for Inclusion steadfastly advocates for this new body to distinctly address the unique, internationally recognized rights of Indigenous Peoples, separate from those of local communities.
Explore the full blog and photos to learn more about our work!
A Landmark Victory: Our ONG Drives UN Call for Indigenous Women's Rights in Chile via CEDAW’s General Recommendation No. 39
Images for Inclusion (IFI) proudly announces a significant achievement at the 24th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Following the head of our NGO’s direct intervention highlighting Chile's lack of efforts to implement General Recommendation No. 39 concerning Indigenous women and girls, the Forum's final report now explicitly urges Chile to adopt this important recommendation. This landmark call from the UN, a direct result of our persistent advocacy, provides Indigenous Peoples, particularly indigenous women and girls, with a powerful tool for advancing their rights, ensuring Free, Prior, and Informed Consent, and combating intersectional discrimination in Chile.
We’ve earned our Gold Seal of Transparency with @CandidDotOrg!
We earned the Gold Candid Seal of Transparency
A call for reflection: the representation of Indigenous Peoples at the UN Permanent Forum
Letters to the Editor. By IMAGES FOR INCLUSION INC
We invite you to read our crucial observation regarding Chile's Commission for Peace and Understanding, now published on our NGO's blog. This statement articulates our deep concerns for Indigenous Peoples' rights and underscores the vital importance of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent.
You can also view more on this matter on the Chilean online Newspaper, ”Lettter to the editor” https://www.biobiochile.cl/noticias/opinion/tu-voz/2025/05/23/un-llamado-a-la-reflexion-la-representacion-de-los-pueblos-indigenas-en-el-foro-permanente-de-la-onu.shtml