Commemoration of National Glaciers Day (Chile).

Chile will commemorate National Glacier Day on Friday, 21 March, as part of the International Year for Glacier Conservation declared by the UN for 2025. This event, supported by UNESCO, aims to raise awareness of the importance of protecting these ice masses.

The day will begin with an opening ceremony at the La Moneda Cultural Centre, led by the Minister for the Environment, Maisa Rojas, alongside UNESCO representatives. This will be followed by an expert panel, moderated by the Chilean Glaciers Foundation, which will discuss the significance of glaciers and the challenges involved in their study and conservation. The panel will feature Alexis Segovia Rocha (glaciologist and academic at the University of Chile), Marc Turrel (historian specialising in the human relationship with glaciers), Cecilia Vicuña (artist and winner of the 2023 National Visual Arts Award), Bárbara Hernández (cold-water swimmer), and Alfonso de Urresti (Senator of the Republic).


The event will conclude at La Moneda with the opening of the exhibition "Glaciers and the Cryosphere in Chilean Art", showcasing works by renowned national artists such as Cecilia Vicuña, Fernando Prats, Gianfranco Foschino, Josefina Guilisasti, Nicolás Amaro, and Rosa Angelini.

Additionally, on Saturday, 22 March, the National Museum of Fine Arts (MNBA) will host a range of artistic and educational activities, including the interactive sculpture "Drifting Ice", performances such as "Sacred Ice" by Cecilia Vicuña, sensory workshops, glacier illustrations, and a collective textile creation, organised by the NUBE, Mar Adentro, Planea, and Plantae foundations.