U.S.-PERU RELATIONS
The United States established diplomatic relations with Peru in 1827, six years after Peru’s independence from Spain. The United States and Peru enjoy a strategic partnership based on the shared values and interests of democracy, security, mutually beneficial trade, and human rights. The United States partners with Peru in support of Peru’s aspirations for regional and global leadership, and to continue the fight against transnational criminal organizations, promote economic opportunities for U.S. businesses, and strengthen citizen safety and security.
Pandemic Response
Recovery from the pandemic remains one of our highest bilateral priorities. Peru’s cumulative COVID-19 death rate of over 6,400 per million people is the highest per capita level in the world. While Peru continues to experience varying levels of COVID-19 infections, deaths and serious cases stand at or near pandemic lows since May 2022. The U.S. government allocated more than $78.3 million in Department of State and USAID COVID-19 health and humanitarian assistance and donated two million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to assist Peru in its emergency response to COVID-19.
U.S. Assistance to Peru
The United States provided more than $98 million in Foreign Assistance funds to Peru in 2021. The United States and Peru have strong cooperation across a range of shared priorities, including rule of law, security, and development relationships. These funds support shared U.S. and Peruvian priorities, including countering narcotics through alternative livelihood programs; combatting corruption, environmental crimes, and trafficking in persons; fostering regional security and peacekeeping; and promoting effective governance and economic prosperity.
For more than 60 years, the U.S. Agency for International Development has worked in Peru, investing more than $3.7 billion in over 1,500 programs to promote economic, social, and political development. Today, USAID’s targeted strategy supports the Government of Peru address current challenges to government effectiveness and prevent corruption, in line with Peru’s own development goals and U.S. foreign policy.
USAID provides specialized technical assistance for the Government of Peru to better invest its own resources in three areas: 1) economic and social development to sustain coca reductions; 2) increased public integrity to reduce corruption; and 3) sustainable environment and natural resource management to expand economic and social benefits. USAID also works to catalyze private sector investment in development, investing more than $137 million in Peru last year. USAID supports special regional initiatives, such as responding to the Venezuelan migration crisis and promoting conservation of the Amazon biome (a U.S. Congressional directive).
The U.S. Department of State and USAID have provided humanitarian assistance for longer-term socio-economic integration of Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Peru. Humanitarian assistance includes cash transfers for food, protection services, and support to survivors of gender-based violence. Longer-term assistance focuses on socio-economic integration through job skills training, business development, access to credit, and re-accreditation for professionals.
The Department of State, USAID, and the Department of Labor each provide foreign assistance to Peru to combat trafficking in persons – a priority for both countries. In 2017, senior officials signed the U.S.-Peru Child Protection Compact (CPC) Partnership, a jointly developed five-year plan to build on Peru’s existing efforts to prosecute and punish perpetrators of child trafficking; identify child trafficking victims and coordinate the provision of comprehensive protective services; and prevent child trafficking from occurring. To date, the State Department has provided $8.9 million in support of this CPC Partnership and invests an additional $1.43 million in other projects to combat trafficking in persons.
The Department of State and USAID support regularization and socio-economic integration of Venezuelan refugees and migrants through job skills training, business development, access to credit, and re-accreditation for professionals. There are 1.3 million Venezuelans in Peru (the UN projects 1.45 million by end of 2022). As of June 10, 2022, the U.S. contributed $240 million in support of Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Peru. On June 10, President Biden announced additional assistance for the crisis during the Summit of the Americas, including $50 million from State/PRM and USAID/BHA for Peru.
The United States pursues the objective of shared prosperity with Peru through supporting transparent procurement processes and sound mineral sector governance. Through the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the United States helps Peru combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing which threatens both fragile ecosystems and an important export industry providing hundreds of thousands of jobs. In addition, the Department of Defense Southern Command entered into an agreement in June 2021 with the international nonprofit organization Global Fishing Watch to detect, deter, and identify illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in Peru and throughout the hemisphere.
In 2018, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) Lima celebrated 40 years of bilateral cooperation in the fight against narco-trafficking and transnational organized crime, in addition to collaborating toward the enhanced peace and security of our two nations. The FY 2021 budget has set aside $33 million for INL Lima. INL supports counternarcotics, police aviation, justice sector capacity building, anti-money laundering, asset forfeiture, police professionalization, and drug demand reduction programs.
Since 2006, the Department of Defense Southern Command, through its Humanitarian Assistance Program, has invested over $54.8 million in 287 projects in Peru including the construction of 18 Regional Emergency Operations Centers.
Approximately 4,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Peru since 1962 and continue to work with their communities on projects focused on economic development, health, water and sanitation, and youth development. More than 3,500 Peruvians study in the United States and almost 4,000 U.S. students study in Peru. The Fulbright Commission in Peru, supported by annual USG allocation, plans and administers Fulbright Program educational exchanges. Through the Fulbright Program, nearly 1,900 Peruvian scholars, professionals and students have traveled to the United States and more than 1,200 Americans have come to Peru to study, teach, and conduct research and increase mutual understanding between the countries.
Through a network of eight binational centers (BNCs), with a total of 32 branch offices countrywide, the United States provides opportunities for English instruction to an average of 90,000 students every month, as well as educational exchanges, cultural outreach, and academic advising at EducationUSA centers for students wishing to study in the United States. BNCs have an online reach with over 1.4 million followers combined through their social media accounts. As a result of the pandemic, BNCs conduct English language classes, EducationUSA advising, and other activities in a hybrid or virtual format.
Since 2001, Peru has received over $3 million through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation for 31 conservation projects in 14 regions throughout Peru. All cultural patrimony programs support the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for cultural patrimony protection signed between Peru and the U.S. in 1997 and renewed every 5 years. This MOU imposes import restrictions on archaeological and certain colonial period material from all areas of Peru and has allowed for the repatriation of over 2000 artifacts. The United States and Peru renewed the MOU in May 2022.
Bilateral Economic Relations
Economic and commercial ties deepened with the 2009 entry into force of the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA), a cornerstone of the bilateral relationship. The PTPA sets high standards for both countries on market access, investment safeguards, intellectual property rights, and environmental and labor rights protections. Two-way trade in goods between the United States and Peru increased from $9.1 billion in 2009 to $17.2 billion in 2021, driving growth and employment in both countries. Bilateral food and agricultural trade jumped from $1.5 billion in 2009 to $4 billion in 2020 –an increase of 167 percent.
The United States continues to work with Peru to combat nature crimes like wildlife and timber trafficking. Examples of this include support for improving enforcement and building regional cooperation as was highlighted at the First High Level Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade in the Americas held in Lima, Peru in 2019 and support to the South American Wildlife Enforcement Network (SudWEN). As a transnational crime, wildlife trafficking supports criminal organizations, increases corruption, undermines the rule of law, harms community livelihoods, and increases the risk of zoonotic disease spillover.
Peru’s Membership in International Organizations
Peru and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, Organization of American States, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.
Bilateral Representation
Principal U.S. Embassy officials are listed in the Department’s Key Officers List.
The U.S. Embassy maintains a Consular Agency in Cusco for emergency and other services to U.S. citizens resident or traveling to the Cusco region.
Peru maintains an embassy in the United States at 1700 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036; tel. (202) 833-9860. The Embassy of Peru in the United States provides consular services through its Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Hartford, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Washington, and New York.
Original source can be found here.
