The Republic of Peru
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I. General Statement
The Republic of Peru continues to be dedicated to the historic mission of the Organization of American States (OAS): "an order of peace and justice, to promote their solidarity, to strengthen their collaboration, and to defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence." This steadfastness is reflected in Peru’s existinggovernment and policies that have been crafted to improve the lives of the Peruvian citizens. The Republic of Peru declares its unfaltering support for the goal of prosperity of not just all member states, but all people living within the Western Hemisphere. The Delegation of Peru expresses its anticipation of the annual General Assembly with the utmost keenness.
The Republic of Peru has shown considerable growth within the last several years despite the recent slow in growth of since the past year. Peru’s mining sector is its largest labor field and most successful, although the government is continually implementing programs to diversify the economy. The Republic of Peru would like to applaud President Ollanta Humala and his administration on the successful of the remarkable reduction of poverty. The effects of job creation and rise in employment has attributed to the boost in income for a large percentage of Peruvians. Research shows that those remaining in extreme poverty are concentrated in the rural areas of the country.[i]
Looking forward, the Republic of Peru will continue to work towards achieving a more sustainable economic growth by creating programs that promote the growth of its smaller cities. The Republic of Peru will also stay devoted to applying policies for those citizens who still remain susceptible to falling into poverty at the slightest economic downturn. It is with this in mind that the Delegation of Peru reaffirms its support of eradicating income inequalities that trouble citizens not only within Peru, but throughout the globe.
President Humala’s administration has made noteworthy labors to battle destitution within the Republic of Peru and the delegation is proud to announce that those efforts have not been in vain. The government’s approach of job creation and investments in education has substantially transformed the concentration of poverty within Peru. Thispolicy has proven to enhance constructive change around the region by taking about half a million of the nation’speople out of poverty.
The Republic of Peru is dedicated to the war on drugs and has worked in conjunction with fellow member states to help bring an end to drug trafficking in the Americas. The Delegation of Peru would like proclaim its openness to new ideas and programs that will help bring an end to these criminal activities that plague nations around the world. The delegation would also like to emphasize its stance on safeguarding the privacy of its citizens and those of fellow member states by adopting a set of standards that will conform with the constitutions of aforementioned members.
Another issue that the Republic of Peru will address is thesharing and distribution of water resources. The delegation is confident that with the cooperation of the other member states and mindfulness of the other factors that must be taken into consideration, such as climate and geography, this matter can be settled for enhancing of the quality of life for our constituents.
In conclusion, the Delegation of the Republic of Peru remains steadfast in its efforts to improve the lives of its citizens and those of fellow member states. The delegation also reaffirms its commitment to the Organization of American States and its mission to:bring peace to the people of the Western Hemisphere, wield justice in the face of those who would abuse the law, lend its strength and resources to the OAS, and ultimately to defend its own autonomy and that of fellow member states.
A. Committee: General Committee (GC)
Topic One: Programs to Address Disparities in Wealth Distribution
The Republic of Peru has been applying its efforts towards eradicating poverty within its populationfor the last several years, and has been successful in reducing the widespread poverty. The delegation of Peru reaffirms its support of the Organization of American States and their mission to eliminate the wealth disparities among those people living in the Americas. The Republic of Peru considers one of the most effective tools in combating income inequality to be job creation.
As of late, there have been efforts to reduce the wealth inequality that afflicts the Republic of Peru. These endeavors have been aimed at job creation and investing in public and private education. Job creation in Peru has been more successful, although there is relatively little growth and output in jobs beyond the mining sector.[ii] The lack of multiple strong labor areas creates more obstacles for the Republic of Peru tomanage, thereby making it more difficult to witness any real progress in decreasing income inequality.Many of these labors have made a limited amount of progress as the economic climate has not been cooperative and has all but stunted the abolition of the income inequality gap. Another issue that the Republic of Peru has been addressing is the weak educational quality.[iii] This is a major factor that has been affecting the economy because those individuals who do complete their education migrate to other, more prosperousregions.This ‘brain drain’ has prolonged the inequality cycle,affecting Peru and many other states in the vicinity.[iv] So, the Republic of Peru has turned to investing in the education system in an effort to heal some of the damage of inequality. However, it is still too soon to witness any progress of these efforts.
The Delegation of Peru trusts that the adoption of programs diversifying the economy of the Americas would be beneficial to all member states. The delegation alsorecommends member states support the expansion of programs to improve thedevelopment of job fields, especially those that are not yet well established within their own economies. This coupled with investments in education will provide the foundation for the abolition of wealth disparities within the Americas by expanding the economies of all member states and ensuring constant growth in the future by increasing the accessibility of education to all citizens.
Topic Two: Addressing the Issues of a Growing Elderly and Retired Population
The Republic of Peru affirms that there are a significant number of issues arising when it comes to addressing the elderly population in our country. One of the issues that plague the elderly population is the lack of proper healthcare. Many of these disabled older people are often not able to work and pay for their necessary drugs and medicine. With the rapid growth of the elderly population, new, modern changes in the health care system are a necessity. Another issue that is affecting Peru’s elders is homelessness. Many of these homeless elders are seen struggling to find food and a place to sleep on a daily basis, simply trying to get through the day. Unfortunately, they are not only forgotten and abandoned by their families, but by society and the government as well. They are usually left to fend for themselves at such a vulnerable age, a seemingly impossible task now that they are restricted from doing so much.
As of right now, individuals above the age of 60 make up roughly 9.2% of Peru’s 30.4 million inhabitants.[v] Advancements in medicine and health care have allowed for a longer life expectancy in the Peru. However, with this longer life expectancy and lower fertility rate, it is projected that by the year 2040 those over the age of 60 will outnumber children under 14.[vi] While most people celebrate the idea of living a longer life, this is a situation whose negative effects heavily outweigh the positives if we are not ready for such a drastic demographic change. The elderly are our responsibility and The Republic of Peru believes we should take action to ensure that they age comfortably.[vii]
The Delegation of Peru urges and encourages to fellow member states take initiative against this growing problem. As of now, it is an issue that is plaguing the Republic of Peru, and could represent a pivotal demographic change for nations in the Western Hemisphere as well. The OAS member states must take definite action now and use this as an example for to prevent from having the same predicament in the future. The Delegation of Peru firmly believes that together with the aid of fellow OAS member states to fund programs that dedicate their time and efforts in assisting the elderly with their health and keeping them off the streetssimultaneouslywould be beneficial for everyone and a huge step in the right direction when confronting these issues to ensure a comfortable life for the elderly population.
B. Committee: Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (ESID)
Topic One: Eradication of Poverty within the Context of Sustainable Development
The Republic of Peru strongly considers that poverty is an exceptionally important problem that should be dealt withby using all of the resources available. The Republic of Peru believes that if this was accomplished amid the lowest economic growth in the last years. One of the main problems still plaguing the Republic of Peru is poverty in the rural areas. The rural population stands at about 6,681,505 with those on the poverty line numbering 3,207,122.[viii][ix] Unfortunately, regions like the Andes and the Amazon, the poverty rate remains dangerously high compared to other areas of Peru. However, these regions hold great potential due to the large quantities of natural resources. This income inequality should be addressed with concern and should be fixed as soon as possible in order to bring prosperity to every corner of the Republic of Peru.
The Delegation of Peru reports that 373 million dollars have been invested to target poverty in the region of Huancavelica, Peru’s poorest area.[x] The money was destined towards health, education, and housing. The Republic of Perudeclares that the poverty rate has fallen 1.2 %, or about 289,000 individuals that have risen above of the poverty line.[xi] This reduction comes amid a fallen economic growth. In the past years, poverty has been reduced by 3%, but this proves that even with economic drag caused by the recession in China, the country can still reduce poverty rates and continue striving towards development.[xii][xiii]
The Republic of Peru encourages all member states of the OAS to work together as it did when the Millennium Development goals were launched in 1990.[xiv] The Delegation of Peru believes that a new plan should be developed in order to combat poverty in rural areas. This delegation asks for OAS member states to unite once more as it has in the past and to exercise more foreign investment in rural areas. The Delegation of Peru will also suggests to seek loans from the American Development Bank and will work in conjunction with Peru’s Minister of Development and Social Inclusion, to use those funds to expand and create new social programs in rural areas.[xv] The delegation urges all OAS member states, as the OAS must work together to increase funding to eradicate poverty in rural areas and to sustain economic development. The Delegation of Peru urges all OAS member states to support us with our endeavor to bring change not just to Peru, but to all of the Western Hemisphere.
Topic Two: Sharing and Allocation of Water Resources
The Republic of Peru affirms that the sharing and allocation of water resources is a vital necessity, in accordance to the OAS, for the betterment of the Peruvian community. The Delegation of Peru understands the risks at hand (economic, political, and environmental) if the goals of Executive Secretariat for Integral Development are not accomplished. In analyzing the sharing and allocation of water resources, the Delegation of Peru recognizes that (1) a strategic plan that improves water management must be implemented, (2) climate change needs to be taken into consideration, and (3) an impartial water policy must be constructed. Not an easy task, however, the Delegation of Peru is aware of the issue and is willing to reorganize the customary procedures in order to improve the quality of life for its constituents.
In an effort to share and allocate water resources, the Republic of Peru believes that a strategic plan that improves water management needs to be created. Although Peru “is one of the 17 countries of the world with the most fresh water available per capita, it is currently among the top 30 countries that suffer water stress and scarcity”.[xvi] The Republic of Peru has identified this problem being that “70% of the population of Peru lives in semiarid and arid regions; whereas the abundant supply of freshwater is located in the lower part of the Amazon basin, scarcely populated”.[xvii]The conflict that affects the Peruvian community is not that the abundant water resources are located away from them, but that the water allocation is not effectively provided. The Delegation of Peru believes in a strong foundation of services such as “regulation of cycles, climate control, and water supply, energy and food production” which will serve as the backbone of the new governance of water resources.[xviii] The Delegation of Peruhas recognized the regulations and services as the start point of the process in search of effectively sharing and distributing the scare water resources.
It has become evident to the Republic of Peru that climate change has to be taken into consideration in regards to the goals of ESID. The Delegation of Peru is conscious that climate change plays a vital role in the water cycle and can affect the quantity and quality of water. Therefore, it is imperative for the delegation to create programs that provide solutions andideas in order to maintain water accessibility and maintain the health of the Peruvian populace.
This Delegation of Peru understands that climate change causes (1) “hydrological extremes (floods, mudslides, overflows, intense droughts)” and (2) “contamination” which is intensified by “salinization and decontrol of land use”.[xix] Nonetheless, the Peruvian Delegation strongly considers solutions to ease climate control in order to protect the health of its citizens, member states and the entire Western hemisphere.
Under the governance of Ollanta Humala, the Republic of Peru has acknowledged the impartial water policy from the previous administration and is seeking to improve it. Under these new improvements, the Delegation of Peru is taking into consideration that, “water law [is] biased to agricultural irrigation (coastal region conditions), that the concentration of decisions are taken in Lima, there is no acknowledgment of indigenous rights, and that allocation efficiency is not pursued”.[xx] It is clear to the Peruvian Delegation that these issues become a barrier when trying to fairly share and allocate the water resources for the well-being of the community.
The Republic of Peru is willing to simplify and reorganize the customary practice regarding the sharing and allocation of water resources in the country. The Delegation of Peru encourages OAS member states to reflect upon the governance of water resources in Peru, in hopes of finding a solution that will help impact the Western hemisphere. The Peruvian Delegation acknowledges that by informing others about its state, other countries can take a lead within their own water management process.
C. Committee: Secretariat for Multidimensional Security (SMS)
Topic One: Hemispheric Standards on Surveillance and Information Gathering
TheRepublicof Peru congratulates the Organization of American States (OAS), the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security (SMS), and the member nations of the OAS in maintaining standards on surveillance and information gathering for security. Additionally, the effort to maintain standards on surveillance and information gathering will be beneficial in the struggle against crime and drug-cartels. Simultaneously, the Republic of Peru expresses a desire to combat the corruption that has unfortunately, plagued many of the member states in the OAS. The members of OAS have all experienced, in one way or another, the harmful effects of drug-cartels and crime. The United States Agency for International Development has stated that rising crime rates and gang violence are impairing development in the region.[xxi] Furthermore, corruption has been reported by media outlets as being rampant throughout Latin America.[xxii] Having adequate standards on surveillance and information gathering will reduce the detrimental effects of drug-cartels and crime on the nations of the OAS, and lessen the taint that is corruption.
In the pursuit to maintain standards on surveillance and information gathering, the Republic of Peru suggests that all member states of the OAS abide by the principles established by the Inter-American System for the Protection of Human Rights (IAHRS) Article 13 on the American Convention of Human Rights. As stated by the IAHRS, any surveillance and information gathering must not infringe upon the freedoms of expression and thought as it has expressed concern over the surveillance programs implemented by several nations of the OAS being threats to the these rights.[xxiii] Moreover, these standards must conform to the constitutions of each member nation of the OAS. These surveillance and information gathering programs must guarantee the national security of the nation and its citizens while also following international human rights standards.[xxiv]The purpose of these programs and systems are ultimately to deter crime, drug-cartels, and corruption.