The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Allan Wagner, and the Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation, Mr Markus-Alexander Antonietti, signed on June 3, 2021, the «Amendment to the Agreement on Cooperation in the Event of Natural Disaster, Crisis, Serious Accident in Peru or Similar Cataclysms between the Government of the Swiss Confederation and the Government of the Republic of Peru», in a ceremony held at the Torre Tagle Palace.
The amendment will allow the parties to share strategies, methodologies and procedures for strengthening disaster preparedness, reducing the vulnerability of the population and developing human capacities.
This is an important step towards consolidating Disaster Risk Management (DRM) in Peru, highlighting the importance of disaster risk reduction for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and timely response to a disaster.
In line with this, Peru will continue to promote and support international technical cooperation initiatives to address the priority issues the countries involved, and to face common challenges such as climate change, humanitarian crises, gender equality and sustainable development.
Background
The Swiss Confederation and the Government of the Republic of Peru signed the Agreement on Cooperation in the Event of Natural Disaster, Crisis and Serious Accident in Peru or Similar Cataclysms on 23 November 2000.
In 2010, through an exchange of letters, the two parties updated the annex to this agreement, which consisted of a list of contacts for the coordinators.
In August 2019, in response to a request from the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA to update the agreement signed in 2010, the Peruvian Government, through the Peruvian Embassy in Berne, submitted a draft amendment to the agreement for consideration.
The Lima Hub, in coordination with the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Institute of Civil Defence (INDECI), updated the proposal. It now responds to Peru’s current needs and the Swiss government’s offer, and contemplates the highest quality standards in humanitarian assistance in case of disasters.
The Agreement has been reviewed and validated by the legal teams of the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Foreign Affairs (General Secretariat GS-FDFA, Contracts, Procurement, Compliance Division).
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru
