Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-06-13-Speech-3-133-000"
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would first like to express my satisfaction at being here, in the European Parliament, the manifestation of the melting pot of different communities and cultures that make up Europe, a Europe with which Peru has strong ties.
Let us be clear: there cannot be development, a democracy or an economy that causes inequality, poverty and exclusion. The big transformation that my government has pledged to bring about is based on the process of social inclusion, which was our main commitment to the Peruvian people. That is, to transform economic growth into development and well-being, to transform wealth into quality of life.
Peru is a country with a population of just over 29 million people. Poverty rates have been reduced from 54% in 2001 to 27% in 2012. My government aims to lift over 3 million Peruvians out of poverty by 2016, that is, to reduce the poverty rate to below 20%, and reduce the extreme poverty rate, which currently stands at around 7% in Peru, by as much as possible. My government is committed to a proactive public policy on social investment and development to achieve this. Despite having achieved the Millennium Development Goals, we therefore continue to make the greatest efforts to continue reducing the differences in equality.
As such, the budget allocated to social and human capital in 2012 has been increased by 20% compared to 2011. Social inclusion means that a human being can become a citizen and we have created the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion for this undertaking. Through this, we aim to transform social programmes through a single social inclusion policy for our government, where we will clearly establish a set of multi-sector programmes with a view to improving efficiency and focusing attention on the most needy.
Within this framework, a set of social programmes have been developed that cover early childhood
through to young people
up to the retirement age
and the conditional transfer programme for the most vulnerable families
and the mobile emergency medical service
have been extended.
is an early childhood programme which is already being implemented. This year, it will attend to over 90 000 children up to the age of three in the poorest regions of the country, supplying them with food and nursery services, education and comprehensive health care.
will provide higher education to qualified young people with fewer resources. It is aimed at skills training and the appropriate assimilation of science and technology that needs to be transferred to diversify our manufacturing model. The objective for our first year of government is to reach 5 000 interns and provide 3 000 grants for masters and doctorate courses abroad.
provides an economic subsidy to adults over 65 years of age who are in poverty or extreme poverty.
As part of this programme, my government has approved the first list of beneficiaries, comprising 126 787 adults in more than 14 regions throughout the country.
This year, my government plans to spend over USD 790 million on social programmes run through the ministry. Other programmes include the Cooperation Fund for Social Development
which promotes the development of local manufacturing, and the
food programme (‘child with energy’ in Quechua), the main objective of which is to ensure that food is provided to children in public primary education centres from the age of three years old.
It is essential to increase the efficiency and coverage of
given that it is a programme that directly delivers monetary incentives to households in poverty or extreme poverty, on the condition that the mothers representing the household fulfil the commitment of ensuring that their younger children attend health care and education centres. We have extended this programme from 350 000 to 450 000 families this year.
Peru, a multilingual and multicultural country with age-old history, has been involved in intercultural dialogue with European traditions since the 16th century. I would like to highlight the efforts of distinguished Europeans to Peruvian causes and issues, such as the learned Italian Antonio Raimondi, the French admiral Petit-Thouars, the German scientist Alexander von Humboldt, and the German researcher Maria Reiche. They are just some of the European names who have supported Peru and the solid bond between our country and the European continent, an undertaking that has lasted through the years and which we value in its current scope.
Within this framework, the Peruvian State is making efforts to ensure that all sectors of society benefit from the trade agreement with the European Union. The agreement is a significant opportunity for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in both the European Union and Peru. In Peru, these types of companies represent 98% of the total number of companies; they employ 75% of the working population, and generate 42% of national GDP.
In addition to economic growth with social inclusion, a second aspect I would like to highlight is the sustainable development of our natural resources and the promotion of responsible mining.
My government’s main interest is to promote a responsible policy for the use of our natural resources, particularly water resources, which aims to resolve the just concerns and demands expressed by the population in different ways, due to the fears generated by the operation of certain mining projects. We have been working on building a new relationship between the state and the mining sector. This new relationship will mean the involvement of communities and towns in the areas affected by the mines, and will allow us to manage the legitimate uncertainties and doubts that an area’s population may have in a clear and inclusive manner. We will use dialogue as the main tool for resolving conflicts, as well as strengthen our environmental and sustainable development policy, for which we have created the Ministry of the Environment.
Latin America in general, and Peru in particular, has specific challenges to ensure social and environmental sustainability through its development model. Some of the most important challenges include: changing manufacturing and consumption patterns; promoting agribusiness and a rural economy that adapts to climate change; integrated management of natural and water resources; a land use regulation policy that ensures security and the integrity of indigenous villages and communities in harmony with national protected areas; and the promotion and development of clean technologies that fit the needs of each of the many ecosystems we have. My country has ratified the main international agreements on the environment. Given that the country is extremely diverse and highly vulnerable to climate change, policies to mitigate and adapt to climate change, to conserve and use the Amazon rainforest sustainably, and to protect biodiversity are deemed to be high priority.
Lastly, as well as a being a full member of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and having ratified the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, we have endorsed the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources, which is currently undergoing legislative approval, and we have recently approved a law that has set a 10-year moratorium on the introduction and production of modified living organisms, destined for cultivation and breeding, based on the precautionary principle of the protection of human, animal and vegetal health and the environment. Peru, however, has been particularly affected by indecision on, and breaches of, the 1992 Rio Treaty.
Industry in Peru, including mining, currently operates under a legal framework that protects the environment and includes indigenous communities in decision making by means of a prior consultation mechanism. The law for this was unanimously approved by the Congress, and I know we are the first country in the world to establish a prior consultation law for communities.
Accordingly, the drafting of this regulation, which has already been passed, involved the participation of organised civil society and the indigenous communities in particular. As such, the indigenous populations will take part in the evaluation of the measures that may affect them. They will be able to express their concerns and their voice will be taken into consideration. This aims to implement improved practices that combine prior consultation with the promotion of private investment.
In addition, we have adopted specific measures for a greater state share in income generated from the extraction of our mineral resources. A new levy on mining was approved in September 2011 after constructive dialogue with mining companies. Those additional resources will be used for infrastructure works in the poorest areas of the country that do not receive benefits from the mining levy. To strengthen the social inclusion policy, the government will promote the creation of social inclusion funds as part of mining or oil investment projects, which will serve to develop education, health, sanitation, drinking water, public services, electricity and agricultural infrastructure.
We will continue to call on private enterprise, alongside the state, to develop human resources in the regions and generate employment for all Peruvians. The development of a major mining project can take at least four years, which is enough time for the aforementioned companies to set up specialised technical training centres in the project’s area of influence. We also consider it to be necessary for mining companies to allocate an insurance fund that would be used should environmental damage occur. We need to strengthen the corporate social responsibility of all the mining and extraction companies that come to my country.
The European Union is currently Peru’s second most important trading partner, being the main destination for our exports and one with significant investments in Peru.
Respect and protection of human rights will be a cornerstone of the Peruvian State’s policy, not only internally, but also in foreign policy. Peru has signed up to, and strictly complies with, the eight main international human rights treaties. My country is currently a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2011-2014 period. We are committed to building a culture of peace, not only to ensure that acts of terrorist violence are not repeated, but also to initiate a process to establish trust and peace in the country, as well as the consolidation of democracy. Thanks to the support from the European Union, and from countries such as Germany and Sweden, as well as the United Nations Development Programme, and the resources allocated by my government, we hope to complete the construction of the ‘Memorial’ museum
by the end of this year.
Furthermore, Peru has ratified 67 International Labour Organisation (ILO) agreements on employment. My country is strongly committed to promoting opportunities for worthwhile jobs under conditions of freedom, security and equality, as well as improving social security, strengthening dialogue and driving guarantees for workers’ rights and the freedom of association. There is fluid and constant interaction between the state, the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association and the ILO Conference Committee on the Application of Standards. I would also like to highlight the fact that the country has different national mechanisms to ensure the implementation, monitoring and inclusive dialogue on such issues, such as the National Human Rights Commission, the National Labour Council and the recently established Economic and Social Council. With this support, in our first year, we have managed to increase the minimum wage, a commitment we made during the electoral campaign.
The trade agreement with the European Union clearly reflects that commitment in this sense given that it contains disciplines developed under a sustainable development and trade approach, which reaffirm the ILO’s main agreements. I wish to emphasise that my government is firmly committed to working in a concerted manner with the democratically elected local authorities and civil society institutions.
My government is firmly committed to that objective and has declared that it will tackle head on issues that affect security, such as narco terrorism and drug trafficking. Peru allocated around USD 100 million of its own resources to combating this phenomenon in 2011. Peru has reduced the growth rate of coca leaf plantations by 2.2%, which, in recent years, had reached an average annual rate of 5%. Peru has also put alternative sustainable development programmes in place that have already benefited 84 000 families, at a cost of over USD 100 million a year.
Peru is constantly involved in the fight against drugs and we have to work in unison with the European Union.
Ladies and gentleman, Peru is a country that respects its commitments and maintains a legal stability that breeds confidence. The agreement concluded between Peru and the European Union, which is about to be signed, is an essential alliance of multiple and reciprocal benefits that will help to promote development with social inclusion, looking to the future of this century.
This is an appropriate moment to express my appreciation and gratitude to the European Parliament for adopting the report on defining a new cooperation policy with Latin America. With the support of 640 MEPs, Parliament has acknowledged the need for coordinated cooperation that takes account of each country’s situation and is also based on the most extensive indicators measuring income levels. In the case of Peru, this will contribute to the efforts my government has been making.
To close, I would like to inform you that this multilateral agreement process began in the Andean Community of Nations several years ago. Due to several problems, it has been reduced down to two countries: Colombia and Peru. Today, there is a window of opportunity. Latin America is undergoing very significant economic growth, but not everything is perfect. We have our own issues, and one of our weaknesses is that we are countries that export raw materials. We citizens of Latin America need to break down this barrier, to stop being raw material-exporting countries, and to embark on the route you started decades ago: industrialisation, and the fields of science and technology. For that reason, it is important for us that this agreement ensures technology transfer and fair and reciprocal trade to Peru; that both parties gain from this agreement, not in terms of economic lobbies, but that our citizens benefit; that this agreement is a significant step towards the integration of America with Europe. It needs to be understood that America is not only the United States. America is Peru, Chile, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Panama, Mexico and many other countries, and that America is currently in good shape and an investment opportunity.
We empathise with the serious crisis that the European Union is currently experiencing. We can say today that we hope that the dark cloud that is blighting European skies does not reach Latin America. We are blowing from our country to prevent the cloud from reaching us, but we have already prepared for it. We are ready to tackle this crisis and that is important; that is, with this multilateral agreement, we also provide, we bring something to the table, and we wish to work in a transparent, open, and cooperative manner for our mutual benefit, so that both parties benefit. It is a two-way street, rather than a one-way street. That is important to me and that is why I have come here today, because I, Ollanta Humala, have always been critical about free trade agreements. Today, however, having been president for ten months, I have to respect state policies and we have to do well. That is why I firmly believe that signing this agreement will be in our collective interests.
I firmly believe that we may progress faster if we go it alone, but that we will progress further if we work together.
During this century, marked by the increasing globalisation of resources, goods and services, as well as the breathtaking rate of development of new technologies, Peru and the European Union share the common objective and challenge of moving forward down the path of cooperation by acknowledging individual values, identities and projects, whilst sharing the same ideals.
Peru is a representative democracy in which macro-economic policies, along with the stable legal framework, have translated into sustainable economic growth and quite a notable social outcome as regards the reduction of poverty, the reduction of inequality, the increase in employment rates, and general compliance with the Millennium Development Goals.
Our gross domestic product tripled during the last decade, with growth for this year projected at close to 6%, and our aim is to maintain this same level of growth for the next five years, despite the difficult international climate. Different studies have led to the same conclusion: that this trend will continue in the coming years, which will lead to Peru becoming one of the leading regional economies.
In this context, my government has set social inclusion as a priority objective, which will come with economic growth; the profits Peru has been reporting, its favourable climate for business, trade openness and investment, will extend to the entire Peruvian society and the poorest sectors of our country in particular.
We need to include the most disadvantaged populations in the economic loop of creating wealth and worthwhile employment through the modernisation and diversification of our manufacturing, promoting local innovation and using advanced knowledge, supporting our people in education and providing them with the tools to be more competitive.
My government proposes to consolidate democracy so that it is able to resolve the problems and needs of the entire Peruvian society, but with a particular focus on the minorities that have been left out or forgotten by the state."@en1
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