Country:

Peru

Region:

Latin America

Date:

Contract Extended to: August 31, 2020

Implementor:

FECONAU/IDL/ FPP

Funding Amount:

$9,992

Details:

Objective: inform communities and provide key legal advice on the implications of the oil project and the available legal mechanisms to defend their rights and territories.  A communications and legal strategy to respond to MINEM’s advancing the FPIC process and to apply pressure to the government to influence or stop the FPIC process for Block 200 will be implemented with participation by the 14 affected communities, state institutions, and media outlets.

Evidence of Achievement:

This SRM support to FECONAU in coordination with the Institute for Legal Defense (IDL), helped ensure that 14 indigenous communities affected by proposed development actions of Oil Block 200 were fully informed and prepared to go through the prior consultation process. The activity is still ongoing due to a shift in institutional administration and continued changes in the schedule to carry out of the prior consultation process from the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) to Perupetro.

However, IDL has implemented a political and legal advocacy strategy to support FECONAU in engaging specific Peruvian government authorities on what’s transpired between MINEM and the affected communities and submitted a legal action to challenge the prior consultation plan under Perupetro’s purview as a part the strategy. Meanwhile after holding informational sessions with IDL on their legal options, the communities developed a communications strategy to be launched in June 2020 for media coverage and advocacy tailored to the authorities in Lima in order to build upon the momentum generated by IDL submitting the legal action. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the schedule for prior consultation has been delayed further.

FECONAU and IDL are confronting major political and economic forces in Peru with limited resources and MINEM’s transfer of FPIC responsibility to Perupetro assures an extended legal battle and greater challenges for protecting collective land rights in Peru, where there will be a need for increased support of their efforts.