PERQUENCO, Chile — August 14, 2026 — A new cooperation agreement between the Municipality of Perquenco and the French nonprofit Order of the Southern Star (Ordre de l’Étoile du Sud), together with the organization’s forthcoming participation in the 2026 conference of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), is giving the NGO’s work in Wallmapu both a local foundation and an international dimension.
The two initiatives reflect complementary areas of activity : cooperation on cultural heritage and education in southern Chile, and participation in international discussions on representation, cultural identity and self-determination.
The Municipality of Perquenco and the Order of the Southern Star signed a Declaration of Friendship and Mutual Cooperation on July 9. The agreement provides a framework for joint initiatives involving cultural heritage, historical research, education, tourism and international cultural exchanges.
At the international level, the NGO is preparing to participate in UNPO’s 2026 Conference on Self-Determination, scheduled for August 27–28 in The Hague.
Prince Antoine V of Araucania and Patagonia is honorary president of the Order of the Southern Star. In civil life, he is known as Laurent Lafayne.
Perquenco partnership focuses on cultural heritage
The agreement with Perquenco establishes a framework for practical cooperation around the municipality’s historical and cultural heritage.
Perquenco holds a distinctive place in the history associated with Orélie-Antoine de Tounens, the Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia and Mapuche leaders of the 19th century.
The cooperation provides opportunities for initiatives in historical research, education, cultural preservation and tourism, as well as exchanges intended to increase awareness of Perquenco’s heritage among residents and visitors.
The partnership is therefore intended to move beyond a symbolic relationship by creating a basis for concrete cultural and educational initiatives between a local Chilean municipality and a French nonprofit organization.
For Perquenco, the agreement also offers an opportunity to increase international awareness of a local heritage closely connected to the history and cultural landscape of Wallmapu.
UNPO provides an international platform
In parallel, the Order of the Southern Star is preparing to take part in the UNPO Conference on Self-Determination in The Hague.
UNPO’s second international conference on “Re-Imagining Self-Determination” is scheduled for August 27–28, 2026, during the organization’s 35th anniversary year.
The conference will address questions surrounding meaningful representation and inclusion of unrepresented nations and peoples. Its program is structured around three themes : representation, narratives and solidarity.
Participants are expected to include representatives of unrepresented peoples, civil society organizations, academics, legal practitioners, journalists, policymakers and grassroots movements.
For the Order of the Southern Star, participation provides an opportunity to bring perspectives developed through its work in Wallmapu into a broader international discussion concerning cultural identity, indigenous rights, representation and self-determination.
The UNPO engagement also places the NGO’s activities in southern Chile within a wider international network concerned with the representation and cultural rights of peoples and communities.
A French NGO with activities in Wallmapu
The Perquenco agreement and UNPO participation form part of a broader program developed by the Order of the Southern Star.
Established in France as a nonprofit association under the 1901 law, the organization works on Mapuche cultural heritage, traditions, community initiatives and advocacy.
Its activities and published projects include work connected with Lonquimay, Pehuenco and Frutillar, as well as its cooperation with Perquenco.
These initiatives include cultural preservation, support connected with Mapudungun language transmission and engagement with community needs.
The organization’s activities consequently combine cultural and heritage work in Wallmapu with international advocacy and dialogue.
From Wallmapu to The Hague
The two current initiatives illustrate the geographical scope of this approach.
In Perquenco, the emphasis is on a specific territory, its history and the preservation and transmission of cultural heritage.
In The Hague, the focus will be on international dialogue concerning representation, solidarity and self-determination.
Although different in scale, the initiatives are connected by a common objective : developing practical relationships in Wallmapu while bringing experience from the region into broader international discussions.
Prince Antoine V’s continuing engagement with Wallmapu
The developments follow Prince Antoine V’s engagement in southern Chile during 2026, including meetings with municipalities, communities and local representatives focused on the historical and cultural heritage of Araucania and Wallmapu.
During his stay in Wallmapu in early 2026, he also participated in an academic discussion at Universidad Arturo Prat, as part of his wider program of meetings in the region.
His involvement is closely associated with the work of the Order of the Southern Star, whose activities have increasingly extended from historical commemoration toward cultural cooperation and community-oriented initiatives.
Lafayne has also published The Promise, recounting his personal journey and experience in Wallmapu and placing his connection with Araucania within a broader historical and cultural context.
“Perquenco gives us an opportunity to develop practical cooperation around history and cultural heritage,” said Prince Antoine V. “International dialogue provides another way to share the experience of Wallmapu and to listen to the perspectives of those working on these issues.”
The Municipality of Perquenco and the Order of the Southern Star are expected to continue developing cultural and heritage initiatives under the July agreement.
Meanwhile, participation in the UNPO conference will extend the NGO’s engagement into an international forum addressing representation, narratives, solidarity and self-determination.
Together, the Perquenco partnership and the UNPO conference demonstrate the two complementary dimensions of the Order of the Southern Star’s current engagement : developing practical cultural cooperation in Wallmapu while connecting that work with international dialogue on indigenous heritage, representation and self-determination.