08:30 | Macas (Ecuador), Oct. 8.
The 10th Peru-Ecuador Binational Cabinet came to a close with the approval of 26 agreements included in the Declaration of Macas signed by President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and his Ecuadorian counterpart Rafael Correa.
The two parties:
1. Reaffirm their strong political will to continue building a common future in order to improve their peoples’ welfare and development, mainly in border areas.
2. Agree on the importance and key role of Binational Cabinets within the Peru-Ecuador integration process, and ratify their willingness to further strengthening such mechanism, which enables dialogue and high-level decision making.
3. Underline the high level of mutual trust, integration and cooperation reached so far with significant achievements targeting those in border areas.
Axis on social, cultural and cooperation issues
4. Pledge to continue their efforts to achieve development with social inclusion, mainly in border areas, and recommit to focus on vulnerable populations.
5. Welcome the establishment of the Bilateral Technical Committee, which is aimed at reaching an agreement to recognize and validate academic degrees and professional qualifications granted by universities of both countries.
Axis on production, trade, investment and tourism affairs
6. Ecuador thanks the Government of Peru for the support provided to promote its accession into the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Members States, on the one hand, and Colombia and Peru, on the other hand.
7. The two parties agree to be in full compliance with the Andean legislation and facilitate trade between both countries. They also recognize the progress made so far this year in implementing the "Understanding on Trade Issues."
Axis on environmental, energy and mining issues
8. Pledge their willingness to ensure provision of basic services, mainly electricity, along the border.
9. Agree on the need to pass a legislation at the regional level to allow electrical interconnection through an integrated market involving countries in the region.
10. Agree to move forward in the negotiation of a Binational Agreement for the establishment of the Binational Commission for Integrated Water Resources Management of nine transboundary river basins.
11. Agree to develop and approve the Water Quality Monitoring Protocol for the aforementioned transboundary river basins.
12. Agree that the High-Level Working Group should continue the implementation and adoption of the Binational Action Plan to address pollution problems in the Zarumilla Canal.
13. Add value to the joint presentation of the “Forest of Peace Transboundary Biosphere Reserve” to the "Man and Biosphere Programme” of the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) General Secretariat, so that it can join the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR).
Axis on infrastructure and connectivity
14. Stress the importance of key roads for the border’s development and integration.
15. Pledge efforts to push forward the Binational Border Attention Centers (CEBAFs) construction.
16. Underline the importance to resume digital inclusion of border areas.
17. Highlight the progress made in implementing agreements that will result in the construction of Plaza de la Hermandad and Zarumilla market.
Axis on security and defense
18. Express their commitment to strengthen cooperation in combating transnational organized crime in all its forms, by developing coordinated and permanent actions.
19. Commit to enhance development-oriented binational actions, through which the two States provide services to remote border areas.
20. Remain committed to further strengthening response mechanisms for timely provision of humanitarian aid in disasters of great magnitude.
Compliance with Brasilia peace accord
21. Stress the progress made in fulfilling commitments made under the (1998) Brasilia Peace Agreement, mainly those of trade and navigation, and the demining process along 1 square kilometer of ground in Tiwinza.
22. Order the relevant Binational Committee to determine, in 2017, a mutually acceptable alternative to build Eje Vial 5 in accordance with the criteria set forth in the Brasilia agreement.
23. Stress the verification of coordinates where CECONA de Pijuayal will be built.
Other issues
24. Welcome the recent presentation of the Joint Declaration on the International Recognition of the Gulf of Guayaquil as a Historic Bay, inked in Cuenca, Ecuador, on 23 November, 2012 before the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS) of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs.
25. Demand to call on an extraordinary meeting of the Binational Technical Committee on Border Regime and Rights of People for the last quarter of 2016.
26. Highlight the role of the Binational Plan for the Development of the Ecuador-Peru Border Region in support of inter-institutional coordination, binational integration promotion and cross-border cooperation.
(END) NDP/VVS/RMB
Published: 10/8/2016