Fourth Paquetazo Approved

Despite the opposition from indigenous organizations and civil society, on Tuesday April 7, the Andean, Amazon, Afro Peruvian Peoples and Environment Committee (People´s Committee) of the Peruvian Congress approved Bill 3941, (also known as the Fourth Paquetazo) which, according to the Government, will boost the economy in the most socially excluded regions of the country.

Indigenous Peoples organizations have deemed the decision as arbitrary on the grounds that the project was approved with a quorum of only six out of 12 congress members. Moreover, prior to the approval representatives of Indigenous organizations, including RRI´s collaborator Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP) and Pacto de Unidad (formed by 6 indigenous organizations) who were attending the debate were not permitted to voice their concerns about that bill, despite a previous commitment from the People´s Committee to let them speak before the vote.

It is worth mentioning that the approved Bill did not take into consideration neither the Peruvian Ombusdman Office´s recommendations nor the concerns from Indigenous organizations sent via letter to the Committee on March, 30th, 2015

Since its presentation to Congress in November last year, Bill 3941 has been a contentious subject as indigenous organizations have pointed out that it would jeopardize the lands and territories of Indigenous Peoples, landholders, as well as indigenous and rural communities in the process of recognition and / or titling.

The specific concerns regarding the implications of the Bill are those articles related to the imposition of easements, protection of right of way and the expropriation of property for infrastructure projects considered important.

Another point of contention is the simplification and deadlines for approval of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) by the National Service for Environmental Certification for Sustainable Investments (SENACE).