EXPERTS ANALYSE THE CHALLENGES FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH IN PERU IN A FORUM ORGANISED BY INERCO

INERCO Peru held a Work Breakfast in Lima on 15 June to address the potential of sustainable development in Peru over the coming years, an event that gathered together around 70 people, authorities, professionals and representatives from different areas of the country.

This technical session allowed a full view of the situation and future economic, environmental and social Peruvian perspectives to be obtained in a key period for the country, with its imminent Bicentenary (2021). An initial overview of possible scenarios —in the short, medium and long term— was carried out by Juan Díaz, Manager of the Centre for Strategic Studies at the Peruvian Institute of Business Action (IPAE in Spanish) and member of the Governing Board of the National Centre for Strategic Planning (CEPLAN) who contributed to the importance of this moment for the planning, design and construction of the important projects that Peru needs in the years ahead.

From Proinversion, Denisse Miralles and Maria Tejada presented the institutional changes that are being carried out in the promotion of private investment and the social and environmental considerations that are being included again in the reference terms for large projects. In addition, Melissa Sulca, Director of Sustainability at INERCO Peru, developed INERCO’s experience in social project management, with special interest in the lessons learned regarding conflicts, the most recent approaches for the dialogue with communities and new tools such as the Social Advancement Fund.

William Pascual, Technical Manager of INERCO Peru explained, step by step, the environmental business structure that is currently being successfully carried out in the investment projects in Peru, whilst Pablo Peña, from the National Service of Environmental Certification for Sustainable Investment (SENACE), put forward the innovations that are currently being implemented in the State (like the One-Stop Scheme and e-Government) to facilitate environmental certification, in the framework of administrative simplification decreed by the current Executive. In addition to this is the vision of Diego de la Torre —President of the Global Compact Network in Peru— on Corporate Social Responsibility: “The business person of the future will be a mix between Bill Gates and Mother Theresa.”

Finally, Esther Valdivia, Manager of INERCO Group (Spain)’s Environmental Division; Rosa Morales, General Manager of Climate change and Desertification in the Ministry of the Environment (MINAM), and Marina Blondet, from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) discussed the three main international challenges that Peru faces in the chapter of sustainability:

• The admission of Peru into the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), concluding that, while governments are ultimately responsible for implementing the commitments derived from international conventions, these will not succeed without the support of businesses. And those businesses will have greater opportunities if they think and act at a local, regional and global level.
• The Paris Agreement and the established goals in successive COPs: The Peruvian INDC (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions) predicted a reduction of 30% regarding GHG emissions projected for the year 2030 as part of the ‘Business as Usual’ (BaU) scenario. The Peruvian State considers that a 20% reduction will be implemented through investments and expenses with internal, public and private resources (unconditioned proposals).
• The commitments that derive from United Nations Development Goals, with special attention to number 17 (Alliances to achieve the goals).

These Technical Workshops are part of the INERCO initiative to contribute to sustainable industrial development in Peru, a goal in which this type of debate forum is essential to unite efforts and put different points of view on the table.