Written question asked by Mark Simmonds (Conservative) on Tuesday, 28 November 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 30 November 2006. It was answered by Gareth Thomas (Labour) on Tuesday, 5 December 2006 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Peru

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the Peruvian Government’s new legislation restricting non-governmental organisation operations in Peru.

Answer: DFID has been following closely the debate around this legislation. We agree with the assessment and statement by the European Union which reiterates member states’ commitment to supporting transparency, accountability and efficiency in aid programmes in Peru. It also requests that specific articles of the Bill be clarified to ensure that they are not used to limit constitutional rights, or limit the work of non-governmental organisations in the area of human rights and the environment.The Bill is currently being reviewed at the request of President Garcia and a number of amendments have been proposed. DFID will continue to monitor this process and work with the European Union to ensure that the legislation promotes transparency and co-ordination and does not adversely affect the work of non-governmental organisations in Peru.

Secondary information