Peru
Photo: UN Habitat
The EU-UN Partnership commissioned a report that assessed the nature of the tensions and conflict around land and natural resources in Peru, specifically focused on the extractive industries sector. The report provided key recommendations for programming and engagement to prevent and mitigate conflicts related to the extractive industries sector. Key findings included the importance of strengthening the capacity of local authorities to address grievances and also to manage the funding generated by the mining, as well as building mechanisms for community participation in extractive industry policies and establishing dispute resolution mechanisms.
On the basis of the assessment, the EU- UN Partnership engaged in Peru to provide early support to the UN Country Team in developing a strategy for mitigating conflict associated with natural resource management. The partnership delivered targeted training of the UN Country Team to build knowledge on the nexus between natural resources and conflict. The wide-ranging nature of the training modules built capacity across the full spectrum of land and resources and enhanced the ability of practitioners, communities and institutions to anticipate and take informed early action. The training and guidance was also used to support a country based mitigation strategy on land, resources and climate change.
"Extractive industry investments have been key to Peru's impressive economic growth of the past years. Between 2000-2009, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at an annual average rate of 5.3%, and estimates for 2010 are even higher, at 6.8% (Ministry of Economy and Finance, 2010). According to official projections, private investments are expected to be the main engine behind economic growth in 2011, particularly in the mining and oil and gas sectors. ... Peru has witnessed an unprecedented increase in the number of violent conflicts. Almost half of the known disputes are related to environmental and social issues and most of them are particularly linked to natural resource extraction." - Extractive Industries and Conflicts in Peru: An Agenda for Action, Report Commissioned by the EU-UN Partnership, 2010
