April, 2023. – The installation of the Board of Directors of Phase II of the Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) and the approval of the Manual of Operations (MOP) marks the beginning of key multilateral cooperation that will help mitigate deforestation and forest degradation in our country. The JDI includes the Governments of Peru, Germany and Norway; as well as the United Kingdom, the United States and USAID (as observers).
This milestone will allow prioritizing the Implementation Plan and the disbursement of more than US$10 million granted by the Norwegian Government. In this way, the project will begin to be executed with the objective of reducing 44.25 million tons of CO2 in the Peruvian Amazon, benefiting 1 million inhabitants of the Amazon and 180 thousand indigenous inhabitants who protect our forests.
The Board of Directors is made up of representatives from the Ministry of Environment; the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation, through SERFOR; the Ministry of Economy and Finance; the Ministry of Culture; the regional governments of Huánuco, Ucayali, Loreto and Amazonas; the Norwegian Embassy; and the indigenous organizations AIDESEP, CONAP and ANECAP.
“This process was built jointly, within the framework of current regulations and incorporating the necessary improvements in a timely and appropriate manner. We need actions to be developed with a presence in the territory, represented through regional governments,” said Nancy Chauca, Vice Minister of Strategic Development of Natural Resources of Minam and president of the Board.
Einar Telnes, Climate Change and Forestry Advisor to the Norwegian Government, emphasized that “with the approval of the Manual of Operations, the Norwegian Government is ready to provide the funds already committed. It is important to have this mechanism and the manual that will strengthen our work and that of the board, involving indigenous organizations and regional governments.”
To achieve this process, the Implementation Plan for Phase II of the JDI was updated for the new period 2021-2025. This made it possible to improve the objectives and goals, as well as to incorporate a territorial approach. The updating process involved the participation of national sectors and regional governments, as well as Amazonian indigenous organizations, which incorporated their proposals for action.
Phase II of the JDI seeks to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Amazon, as well as achieve 100% implementation of cross-cutting enabling conditions to reduce deforestation. This is expected to be achieved through the reduction of illegal activities, forest zoning and the strengthening of knowledge management to implement public policies in the regions of impact.
“I want to ratify our commitment to implement the ICD and thank the Government of Norway for the funding and thus work for the indigenous communities. The Amazonian indigenous peoples have reached a consensus and elected our own representatives to this board,” said Óseas Barbaran Sánchez, president of the Confederation of Amazonian Nationalities of Peru – CONAP.
Joint Declaration of Intent
As recalled, in 2014 Peru signed a cooperation agreement with Norway and Germany, called Joint Declaration of Intent – JDI, which was extended in 2021 with the inclusion of the United Kingdom and the United States as observers. This agreement seeks to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in our country, which are produced as a result of deforestation and degradation of Amazonian forests. This strengthens the national REDD+ strategy and contributes to sustainable development.
Within the framework of the JDI, Peru is in Phase II, called “Transformation”. This stage involves a series of efforts by the country to mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing forest loss and GHG emissions. Between 2014 and 2020 we achieved: granting rights in more than 5.6 million hectares of uncategorized areas; the titling of 1.9 million territories to native communities; the establishment of 2.9 million hectares as new natural protected areas and regional conservation areas; among others.
Amazon Forest Condition
Almost 60% of Peruvian territory is covered by forests, making it the ninth largest forested area in the world. Despite the fact that Peru’s forests are one of the most valuable resources for mitigating the effects of climate change, high rates of deforestation and degradation continue to be reported.
The 2016 National Greenhouse Gas Inventory – INGEI reported that in that year 65.71% of GHG emissions correspond to the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (ASOUT) sector; and within this, the main source of GHG emissions (53.09%) is found in the subcategory Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF), associated with deforestation. For this reason, national efforts to reduce GHG emissions are focused on this area.
