At the June Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, the United States, Peru, and many of its neighbors agreed to advance a region-wide digital transformation, to accelerate the clean energy transition, to invest in climate resilience, and to promote and protect democratic governance.
Leaders also issued the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection. It affirms for the first time a shared responsibility in the Western Hemisphere to create the conditions for safe, orderly, humane, and regular migration.
In support of this declaration, Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his recent visit to Peru, announced the United States will provide more than $240 million in new humanitarian assistance and security assistance from the Department of State to address the immediate drivers and root causes of irregular migration, as well as assist those forced to flee. Since September, the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development announced nearly $817 million in new assistance supporting these efforts.
Secretary Blinken commended Peru for hosting more than 1.3 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants, and offering them a pathway to a more regular status. Nearly half a million Venezuelans have already gone through this process, allowing them access to public services that allow them to provide for their loved ones, build better lives, and contribute to their host communities.
The United States and Peru are close partners on environmental challenges as well. Over the last three years, USAID partnered with the Peruvian people and their government and provided $60 million to improve mining practices, to fight deforestation, and to promote sustainable economic development.
The U.S. continues to work with Peru to address threats like transnational crime and drug trafficking, both of which are exacerbated by the scourge of corruption.
The U.S. is also committed to helping protect Peru’s rich culture and heritage. For the last 25 years, both countries have worked together to return more than 2,000 Peruvian cultural artifacts that were once illegally trafficked in the United States.
The United States and Peru, said Secretary Blinken, “continue to demonstrate real progress on the challenges that matter most in the lives of our people, and we’re going to build on that progress in the weeks and months ahead.”
