Peru’s national ombudsman, the Defensoria del Pueblo, said Tuesday that it registered 214 social conflicts in the country in July.
Social conflicts soared during ex-President Alan Garcia’s administration, leading to numerous deaths as well as delays to many mining and energy projects.
According to the Defensoria, 118 of the conflicts are related to socio-environmental issues. Twenty-two conflicts are due to issues with local governments and another 22 are related to the central government. Fourteen of the conflicts are labor-related, 13 are on territory demarcation and nine are described as communal issues.
President Ollanta Humala promised during his campaign to resolve the conflicts by improving consultation with communities.
Numerous international rights organizations, in addition to the Defensoria, have called recently for the approval of a prior consultation bill that is in Congress.
The legislation is intended to allow Peru to comply with article 6 of the International Labour Organization’s Convention 169, which requires the State to consult indigenous people prior to adopting administrative and legislative measures, as well as investment projects and development plans that could affect their communities.
