The Peruvian Congress has passed legislation to guarantee equality between men and women in the leadership of indigenous communities.

Law No. 2148, which was presented by the Nuevo Perú Congresswoman Tania Pariona, is based on a proposal developed by ONAMIAP, the Andean and Amazonian women’s organisation and the NGO Asociación SER. It requires that the governing bodies of indigenous communities contain no less than 30% of either men or women. Presently, 97% of community presidents are men, while two-thirds of the Gross Internal Product in communities is generated by women.

This new law forms part of Peru’s commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Objectives, specifically No. 5.