Chile's Ministry of Foreign Affairs awards WUS with medal to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the coup in Chile

The Ambassador of the Republic of Chile, H.E. Magdalena Atria, presents the medal to Dr. Kambiz Ghawami on behalf of the World University Service (WUS) in the presence of H.E. Vu Quang Minh, Ambassador of the SR Vietnam and Dr. Uschi Eid, President of the German Africa Foundation (Photo. WUS)

The Ambassador of the Republic of Chile, H.E. Magdalena Atria, presented Dr. Kambiz Ghawami, Chairman of the World University Service (WUS), with the medal in recognition of the support given to Chilean students and academics after the military coup in 1973. In 2023, Chile commemorated the 50th anniversary of the military coup of September 11, 1973, which violently interrupted the country's democratic tradition.

This event led to the fall of the government under Salvador Allende and the establishment of a dictatorship that lasted 17 years. This traumatic event left a deep mark on the lives of countless people and to this day marks a milestone not only in Chilean history, but also in the world. Many Chileans were forced to flee.

Immediately after the coup in 1973, WUS supported the emigration of opposition members by inviting them to congresses and paving the way for them to safe exile countries in Latin America, Europe and Asia. Around 6,000 Chileans found refuge in Germany alone, which was divided at the time.

During the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the coup, the Chilean Foreign Ministry decided to pay tribute to this international solidarity and to thank the many people and organizations who generously supported life and the restoration of democracy in Chile during this difficult time.

WUS not only supported the exiles with scholarships during their studies and research work, but also systematically promoted their reintegration after 1978, when some exiles were allowed to return to Chile. As they were banned from working in the state structures, alternative institutions to state institutions that were not under the administration of the military junta were created, such as for doctors in healthcare facilities or teachers in educational institutions.

After the end of the military junta led by Augusto Pinochet in March 1990, WUS supported thousands of Chilean exiles in their return to Chile as part of the reintegration programme of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as programmes in the context of re-democratization in Chile.

At the award ceremony, H.E. Ambassador Vu Quang Minh of the Vietnamese Embassy in Germany pointed out the close ties between Chile and Vietnam and WUS and recalled that Salvador Allende, as President of the Chilean Senate, was the last state guest of President Ho Chi Minh in May 1969 in Hanoi before Ho Chi Minh passed away.

Dr. Uschi Eid, President of the German Africa Foundation and former Parliamentary State Secretary in the BMZ and long-time Chair of the UN Secretary-General's Advisory Committee on Water and Sanitation, recalled the many Chile solidarity groups in Germany after the coup and the concrete support of WUS for Chilean exile groups and their nationwide coordination.