Peru’s Ministry of Environment (Minam) will sign today a cooperation agreement worth US$6.1 million with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) for the conservation of forests along the Peruvian Amazon.
Scheduled to take place at 11 a.m. at Minam’s headquarters, the event will see the participation of Norwegian Ambassador Hege Araldsen, Peru Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar Vidal and the UNDP Resident Representative Maria del Carmen Sacasa.
With nearly 60% of its national territory covered by forests —the second largest portion of the Amazon rainforest in the world— Peru witnesses deforestation and degradation threat levels —118,00 hectares per year, according to UNDP.
The Amazon provides livelihoods and cultural identity to native communities throughout the vast territorial expanse.
In the Climate Summit 2014 in New York, Peru, Germany and Norway inked a Joint Declaration of Intent to reduce deforestation in our forests and greenhouse gas emissions causing degradation of the Peruvian Amazon.
UNDP will channel the first contribution worth US$6.1 million, as part of a larger fund of US$300 million that Norway intends to contribute to preserve the area.
The money will be transferred to the Project “Embarking on the Journey to Implement Phase II: Transformation of the Joint Declaration of Intent between the Governments of Peru, Norway and Germany.”
(END) ASH/RMB/MVB
Published: 5/27/2016