In 2021-2022, responding to popular protests that demanded a new constitution, Chile embarked on
a historical constitution-making process. A Constitutional Convention was formed, and although
it incorporated innovative mechanisms to improve political representation as well as
participatory mechanisms, this constitutional process ended in September 2022. In a mandatory
referendum, over 60 percent of the electorate rejected the proposed constitutional text.
Nevertheless, as the majority of political stakeholders were committed to changing the
constitution, a new process started in 2023. To ensure it had legitimacy and was organized in
dialogue with the people, especially those traditionally marginalized or excluded, UNDP designed
a project to (1) gather the opinions, expectations and concerns of specific groups of the
population about the constitution-making process and (2) to promote the inclusion of norms
related to gender equality. The 2023 constitution-making body proposed a constitutional text
that was rejected again by most of the population in a national referendum in December 2023. A
political agreement was reached not to pursue another constitution-making process in the country
in the short term, and the 1980 constitution remained in place.
In this context, UNDP in Chile developed and conducted an innovative
longitudinal survey titled ‘Citizen listening’ the outcomes of which helped capture opinions
about democracy and politics, as well as attitudes about the constitutional process.
The survey was conducted in three waves between July and December 2023 and targeted various
groups, including migrants, elderly people and people who self-identify as Indigenous peoples.
In total, over 700 people took part in all three waves. The survey
itself empowered its participants to have a voice in key political processes. It has
also allowed the political stakeholders in Chile to better understand peoples’ needs and demands
for rights, justice and security, among other constitutional topics.
The project has consistently applied a human rights-based approach, following the principles of
accountability, participation and inclusion, equality and non-discrimination. Specifically,
within ‘Citizen listening’ initiative, UNDP engaged groups of people
who were historically marginalized from decision-making processes. In addition, all
data was disaggregated by gender.
To accomplish the research, UNDP partnered with academia (Millennium Institute of Foundational
Research on Data - IMFD) and civil society organizations: AVINA foundation working with the
migrant community in Chile and GeroZoom foundation that works with the elderly. These collaborations were vital to ensure that UNDP’s survey tools were
accessible to all groups and aided in conducting a pilot survey before administrating it to
the target groups.
The results of the survey were presented in two national radio programmes, and the findings also
featured in the national digital news outlets, including a social media programme that targets
migrants.
Throughout the year, UNDP held meetings with government authorities to present the results of
each survey wave. Government authorities, in particular the Ministry of the General Secretariat
of the Presidency, have expressed a high level of interest in the results and have committed to
participate in a meeting during the first half of 2024, which UNDP will convene, to present the
final results of all the three waves. Consideration of these opinions
and results will contribute to the adequacy of future legislative reforms and help to
improve the climate of trust in the country, advancing towards a more robust and effective
democracy. Looking forward, UNDP will further disseminate the data and build
partnerships with a view to inform political debates and promote inclusivity, human rights,
justice and security for all in the region.
Lessons learned and good practices
Mainly due to the widespread mistrust in the country and lack of general interest in political
processes, data collection took longer than expected.
The primary goal of the project was to establish citizen listening groups, with a particular
emphasis on historically marginalized communities which was possible due to UNDP’s collaboration
with civil society organizations (CSOs). The project also incorporated an academic component,
recognizing the technical complexity of the methodologies employed in the listening panels.
These realms of academia and civil society will continue to be integral to the rule of law and
governance projects, particularly for collaborations with electoral bodies and planned efforts
to strengthen political parties, promote women's participation and address disinformation.