Autonomy and Indigenous self-government

Rapa Nui self-determination: current status

Where the question stood on 22 September 2026: Rapa Nui remains a special territory of Chile, with a mainstream autonomy movement and a minority independence-seeking strand.

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Status verified as of 22 September 2026. Political positions change; this explainer describes the documented position on that date.

Current position

Rapa Nui remains a special territory of Chile. The broader movement continues to press claims for cultural autonomy, land rights, and reparations, while the Rapa Nui Parliament continues to pursue an independence process before the UN Special Committee on Decolonization as a minority position.[1]

Sources for this page

Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.

  1. 1.

    Claim: In 2001, a rival "Council of Elders No. 2" established the Rapa Nui Parliament; its leader Rafael Tuki has pursued the island's case before the UN Special Committee on Decolonization, stating his aim to begin an independence process, a minority position distinct from the broader movement's focus on autonomy.

    • Rapa Nui in Chile (Minority Rights Group) link, Rapa Nui Parliament founding section. Advocacy organisation perspective Source record
    • On Remote Easter Island, A Rising Independence Movement (Worldcrunch) link, Tuki's UN decolonization pursuit section. Source record

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Printed from https://independenceatlas.com/movements/rapa-nui-self-determination/status · last substantive update 24 September 2026.