United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement provides the tools necessary to promote and enforce strong environmental protections and combat illegal logging
United States and Peru recognize recent progress, discuss work that remains, and announce new actions to address key challenges in illegal logging
Washington, D.C. – The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced today that important progress is being made with the Peruvian Government to combat illegal logging and strengthen environmental protections in Peru. Last week, USTR officials co-chaired a meeting of the Environmental Affairs Council (EAC) and Sub-Committee on Forest Sector Governance, established under the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA). This was the first EAC meeting under the new Kuczynski Administration in Peru. During the meetings, U.S. and Peruvian officials discussed the progress that has been made to address illegal logging, the challenges that still remain, and how both countries can work independently and together to address those challenges.
“PTPA provides a strong foundation for addressing environmental challenges, including illegal logging,” said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. “While Peru has made important progress under the PTPA to combat illegal logging, there is still much more work to be done. I am encouraged by the concrete actions announced by the Peruvian government, including new actions to help ensure that the timber exported from Peru is legally harvested. For the sake of our forests, our global environment, and our shared future, we will continue to closely monitor the situation in Peru and work closely with them to advance environmental progress.”
The United States and Peruvian governments agree that Peru’s efforts to combat illegal logging still face significant challenges. In response to these challenges, the U.S. earlier this year invoked one of the PTPA's monitoring tools by requesting that Peru verify the legality of a Peruvian timber shipment that had recently entered the U.S. market. The Peruvian Government's findings in the case of this shipment confirmed USTR’s concerns, and the Interagency Timber Committee responded by identifying several areas where additional work is needed in the fight against illegal logging in Peru.
During last week’s meetings, representatives of the U.S. and Peru discussed redoubling joint efforts to address illegal logging and associated corruption. In particular, Peru announced several important actions, including: amending export documentation to improve traceability throughout the supply chain; implementing measures for the prevention and timely detection of illegally harvested timber, including inspections by OSINFOR prior to timber export; improving the accuracy of annual forest management plans; and holding violators accountable. The final joint statement of the EAC meetings makes clear Peru's commitment to promptly take these and other actions.
During the recent EAC meetings, Peru also shared its priorities for 2016-2021, which include protecting biological diversity, sustainably managing coastal and marine areas, and strengthening environmental institutions. Additionally, United States trade officials shared recent progress in creating and expanding marine protected areas in the U.S., implementing the Obama Administration’s commitments under the Minamata Convention on Mercury, and ongoing actions to strengthen enforcement of environmental laws.
United States and Peruvian officials also announced the hiring of a new Executive Director, Dino Delgado, for the independent Secretariat established under the PTPA to receive and review submissions from the public about environmental law enforcement. These efforts will help to promote public participation and transparency, which are key elements of the PTPA.
Learn more about the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA) on the USTR website.
