Since 2011, Switzerland has contributed, through the Glaciares Project, to improving the adaptation capacity based on the community, local disaster risk management, and seizing of opportunities related to glacier retreat.

Markus-Alexander Antonietti, Swiss Ambassador to Peru visited the city of Huaraz, accompanied with a delegation composed of Martin Jaggi, SDC Cooperation Director, and Jocelyn Ostolaza, National Program Officer.

During his stay, Mr. Antonietti held a series of strategic meetings with regional and local authorities and actors involved in the disaster and glacier risk management field; all this within the framework of the Glaciares+ Project closure scheduled for the second semester of the year.

The agenda included a visit to Lake Palcacocha (glacier origin), located in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range, whose water volume has significantly increased over the past years, posing a high flood risk to the city of Huaraz. In that sense, together with the representatives of Ancash Regional Government, the National Water Authority’s Glaciology and Hydrology Unit, the National Institute for Research on Glaciers and Mountain Ecosystems (INAIGEM), the National Institute of Civil Defense (INDECI) of Ancash, and the University of Zurich managed to get a close look of the situation, progresses and challenges around disaster and water resource risk management in Huaraz.

Various communication media accompanied the delegation on its way to the Lake. The following news stories of the visit were published in local media:

Glaciares+ is an initiative of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Global Programme Climate Change and Environment in coordination with the National Water Authority (ANA) and the Ministry of the Environment. It is implemented by the National Water Authority’s Glaciology Unit, the Regional Governments of Ancash, Cusco and Lima, and local governments and universities.