U.S. Department of State's Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice Desirée Cormier Smith highlighted Peru's commitment to promote policies, in order to close gaps in ethnic-racial discrimination of indigenous or native peoples and the Afro-Peruvian people, within the framework of respect for their collective rights.
This was stated Tuesday by Peru's
Deputy Interculturality Minister Rocilda Nunta after holding a working meeting with the U.S. official, to whom she explained the public policies and strategic interventions implemented for the creation of an intercultural State, such as the approval of the National Policy for the Afro-Peruvian People (PNPA).
At the meeting, the U.S. official learned about the work of intercultural mediators, the awareness raising activities in the fight against racism, the training of indigenous leaders in the implementation of prevention measures, and the protection against the risks they are exposed to while defending their collective rights, among other issues.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of State's special representative referred to the coordination with the Peruvian Ministry of Culture for an activity related to the preservation of the Ashaninka indigenous language.
Also participating in the meeting were Darius Edgerton, advisor of the aforementioned special representative; Erica Nelson, a U.S. diplomat; Jose Carlos Contreras, a political specialist at the U.S. Department of State; and Rebecca Danis Webb, a cultural attaché at the United States Embassy in Peru.
The work meeting covered views and cooperation opportunities in favor of justice and ethnic equity in Peru.
Nunta was accompanied by the General Director of Intercultural Citizenship Virginia Calderon, the General Director of Rights of Indigenous or Native Peoples Dulhy Pinedo, and the Director of Policies for the Afro-Peruvian Population Susana Matute.
It should be noted that 5,984,708 citizens in Peru identify themselves as part of an indigenous or native people, while 828,894 citizens refer to themselves as Afro-Peruvian, according to the 2017 National Census.
(END) NDP/VVS/CVC/RMB
Published: 10/4/2022