The room was full to bursting. Members of NGOs, Embassy representatives, mining company executives, students, the government, the press were crammed into the Instituto de Estudios Peruanos’ meeting room. Some even spilled out into the beautiful interior walled patio, faces pressed up against the windows, to hear the long awaited presentation of the Spanish version of “Mining and Development in Peru.”

On 17th May, the Instituto de Estudios Peruanos (IEP), the Centro de Investigación y Promoción del Campesinado (CIPCA), Oxfam International and the PSG, hosted the Lima launch of the PSG-sponsored investigation into mining and development in Peru, with special focus on the Río Blanco project in Piura. The following night, with an equally enthusiastic, varied and standing room only crowd, they hosted a further presentation of the report in the Costa del Sol Hotel, in Piura.

On the panel were Anthony Bebbington, co-author of the report and Andrew Bristow, Operational Manager of Monterrico Metals (MM). In Lima they were joined by Carlos Herrera Descalzi, ex Minister of Mines and Energy under the Paniagua government and Martín Tanaka, member and ex-Director of the IEP. In Piura (where the room, with well over two hundred attendees, was fuller still), Humberto Correa, economic advisor to the regional government and Bruno Revesz, director of CIPCA participated as commentators.

All sides of the debate have been given the chance to speak out publicly on the Río Blanco project, MM has presented a written document of its intentions and desires for the region, the press have covered the launches and hopefully this will all lead to informed and respectful dialogue to ensure the future of local development in the area.

By Charlie Smith
PSG Advocacy Correspondent and Consultant
(This is an edited version of the full article which appears in the PSG’s Peru Update publication No. 121 and is sent to members on a bi-monthly basis)

The Spanish version of the ‘Mining and Development in Peru’ report is available on this website.

DESCARGAR INFORME EN ESPAÑOL (PDF format, 2 MB)