New international alliance to preserve Peruvian Amazon rainforest
The UK, US, Peru, Germany, and Norway are stepping up efforts to reduce deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon by 2025.
The UK, US, Peru, Germany, and Norway are stepping up efforts to reduce deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon by 2025, as part of a major international climate alliance.
Ministers from these countries joined Peru by signing a Joint Declaration of Intent this week, demonstrating their support to Peru in tackling forest ecosystem loss and degradation, and contributing to the sustainable development of the country.
In 2014, Germany and Norway entered a partnership to support Peru in its effort to preserve its tropical forest, the fourth largest in the world and the largest in the Amazon outside of Brazil. Today’s declaration is a continuation of the original declaration from 2014. The United Kingdom and United States are both signing for the first time as new partners.
The UK is working closely with Peru to pursue sustainable and forest-friendly business solutions such as Indigenous communities-led agroforestry in the Amazon area. To build back better after the Covid-19 pandemic and make a successful shift away from deforestation and forest degradation, the UK International Climate Finance programme is supporting Peru to mobilise private sector investment for nature-based solutions that can help to effectively tackle climate change and biodiversity loss.
The United States, represented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), signed this agreement as a witness, bringing support through a 47.5 million US Dollar program directed towards sustainable forest practices currently under implementation.
Germany have already committed 210 million Euros to projects that are linked to the objectives of the Joint Declaration of Intent. By signing the extension, Germany will continue supporting the Joint Declaration of Intent and stands ready to further develop the significant cooperation with Peru.
Norway will extend its pledge from the initial declaration in 2014 until 2025, which is to support Peru’s effort with up to 1800 million Norwegian Krone - more than 200 million US Dollars.
Lord Goldsmith, British Minister for Pacific and the Environment at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said:
I am delighted the UK is taking steps to strengthen our partnership with Peru to work together on halting deforestation and protecting biodiversity. Through our leadership of the G7 and COP26, we are putting nature at the heart of the global response to the twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change. This is why we have committed to spend at least £3 billion of our International Climate Finance to support efforts to protect and restore nature, reduce global deforestation, and support communities that rely on forests for their livelihoods.
Gabriel Quijandría Acosta, Peruvian Minister for the Environment, said:
Climate change is a global threat, and addressing it requires international collaboration. With the support of our partners, Peru reiterates its commitment to protecting our invaluable forests and promoting sustainable development in the Amazon region.
Representatives of regional governments, ministries of State and representatives of indigenous peoples of Peru agreed that this addendum represents an excellent opportunity to promote the productive conservation of forests and implement the country’s climate commitment with a sense of urgency and ambition.
Svenja Schulze, German Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, said:
Germany sees the Joint Declaration of Intent on climate change and REDD+ as a strategic foundation on which we can build cooperation on forest conservation and climate action. We are united by a shared belief which goes beyond borders and institutions: Thriving economies and healthy ecosystems are interdependent.
Sveinung Rotevatn, Norway’s Minister of Climate and Environment said:
We are very proud to partner with Peru. Despite being severely affected by the pandemic, Peru continues the fight against climate change and to preserve its forests. We are also thrilled to have the United States and the United Kingdom join forces with us.
We are keen to support Peru and other countries that succeed in reducing deforestation in their efforts to access more finance. I am hopeful we can invite a growing set of companies to join, building on last month’s launch of the LEAF Coalition.
Jene C. Thomas, Director of the United States Agency for International Development’s Peru Mission, said:
The recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between USAID and the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the President’s Council of Ministers, calls for increased cooperation around forest governance and reforms at national and regional levels, and is an important tool that will fortify Joint Declaration of Intent goals and further harmonize Government of Peru´s whole of government efforts.
Last month, the Climate and Environment Ministers of the G7 committed to halting and reversing the loss of biodiversity by 2030. This follows the Environment Secretary’s recent commitment to a historic new legally-binding species target for 2030. In efforts to tackle the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, all G7 members also signed up to the global ‘30x30’ initiative to conserve or protect at least 30 per cent of the world’s land and at least 30 per cent of the world’s ocean by 2030, as well as committing to ‘30x30’ nationally.