Articles

  • Shadow report criticizes Glencore's record in Latin America, as well as national governments

    4 June 2017

    Since 2012, a group of NGOs has been developing research on the activities of Glencore. The Peruvian participants involved are Derechos Humanos Sin Fronteras (DHSF) and Cooperacción. The group has now produced an 84-page report covering four countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru.

  • A bad week for PPK

    28 May 2017

    It has not been a good week for the Kuczynski administration. Faced with the possibility of being censured in Congress, Transport and Communications Minister Martín Vizcarra tendered his resignation on 22 May. This followed the publication of a highly critical report by the Comptroller-General’s office on the addendum to the Chinchero airport contract.

  • Affidavit brings new insights into illegal corporate gold trading

    28 May 2017

    On 18 May, a high-level delegation, including Peru’s attorney general, the head of the judiciary, the finance minister and the US ambassador, overflew the key area of illegal gold mining in Madre de Dios. They sought to observe the most visible dimension of abuse: the environmental damage from illegal gold mining. The other end of the gold mining saga – and crucial to its control - is how illegal gold gets fed into the international gold market, in the process laundering it into ‘clean’ gold. In March 2017 Bloomberg described many of the mechanisms.

  • Odebrecht scandal brings new names to light

    28 May 2017

    Every week brings further evidence to light in the chain of corruption stemming from the activities of Odebrecht, the Brazilian construction giant.

  • EU reaffirms commitment to indigenous rights

    28 May 2017

    On 15 May, the Council of the European Union adopted its Council Conclusions on Indigenous Peoples, which adheres to the Joint Staff Working Document “Implementing EU External Policy on Indigenous Peoples” published in October 2016 by the European Commission.

  • EU reaffirms commitment to indigenous rights

    28 May 2017

    On 15 May, the Council of the European Union adopted its Council Conclusions on Indigenous Peoples, which adheres to the Joint Staff Working Document “Implementing EU External Policy on Indigenous Peoples” published in October 2016 by the European Commission.

  • Public works in Cuzco under scrutiny

    21 May 2017

    Two different instances of alleged malpractice in public works contracts in Cuzco hit the headlines last week. The first concerns construction of a new urban highway linking the centre of Cuzco city with its eastern suburbs. The second is the case facing the minister of transport and communications, Martín Vizcarra, who was questioned for his role in the contract to build a new international airport at Chinchero in Cuzco.

  • Elite power and political capture

    21 May 2017

    On 19 May, John Crabtree and Francisco Durand presented their latest book at the UCL Institute of the Americas in London (‘Peru: Elite Power and Political Capture’).

  • Appointment of reconstruction 'czar' raises concerns

    13 May 2017

    The appointment on 5 May of Pablo de la Flor as executive-director of the authority in charge of reconstruction has met with a mixed response. It has been widely welcomed by the business community and Peru’s right-of-centre political parties, but is seen as a source of concern in the NGO and pro-environment communities.

  • Fujimori's future: official pardon, house arrest, or stay in jail?

    13 MAY 2017

    The issue of Fujimori's detention returned to the headlines last week, as the Fujimorista majority in Congress piled on the pressure for a full-blown presidential pardon, threatening the future of two government ministers.

  • PSG Aims

    The Peru Support Group exists to promote social inclusion, sustainable development and the observance of human rights in Peru. To that end the PSG highlights shortcomings in observance of established norms, whether international or local in nature, in its research, advocacy and publications. In so doing, it underscores the relationships that exist within the political system, how institutions work, and the effectiveness of policies that aim to reduce poverty and inequality within the context of sustainable development.

  • Historical Overview

    Over the past century Peru has suffered a series of autocratic governments and a civil war in which nearly 70,000 people died. Many of the country's ongoing political and social problems are a legacy of its somewhat turbulent past. 

  • Human Rights

    Human rights violations were widespread during the twenty years after the initiation of armed conflict in 1980. Efforts to convict perpetrators since the war's end have made only limited progress. Today, concerns remain over the treatment of those engaged in social protest, particularly against strategically important investment projects.

  • Why join the PSG?

    • Keep up to date with latest news and developments in Peru
    • Learn about key issues of poverty, development and human rights in Peru
    • Support the work of the Peru Support Group

    Become a member