Chile cancels APEC, COP25 summits amid social unrest

Chile’s President Sebastián Piñera said Wednesday that the country will not host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit nor the UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) for security reasons given the seriousness of the social crisis currently affecting the country.

“This is a very difficult decision, that has been painful to take,” Piñera said in a televised address, adding “A president always has to put his countrymen above any other consideration."

Over the last 12 days, Chile has faced the largest social uprising since the return to democracy in 1990 with nationwide protests, looting and reports of heavy-handed policing and human rights abuses. The unrest has left at least 20 people dead and hundreds with bullet wounds.

The unrest started after a 3% rise in metro fares led to a student protest that then morphed into large-scale demonstrations nationwide with protesters calling for changes to Chile’s economic model and Piñera’s resignation.

A cabinet reshuffle on Monday and measures announced last week by Piñera have done little to ease tensions, and are seen by many as falling short of what is needed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he would not attend the APEC Leaders Summit on November 16-17 in Santiago, though he added this had nothing to do with the unrest in Chile, meanwhile US President Donald Trump had indicated this week he would attend and might even sign a landmark trade deal with China during the conference.

The COP25 conference was scheduled to take place in the capital on December 2-13 and address issues such as the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change.