UNITED STATES-PERU COOPERATION
The Cooperation between the United States and Peru should be approached from the perspective of the key objectives and components that comprise it as well as the resources that are engaged to fulfill those objectives.
The United States is the number one source of bilateral cooperation in Latin America, having reached the amount of US$ 1.2 billion in 2002 and US$ 982 million US in 2005. The cooperation of the United States government with Peru is channeled fundamentally through USAID (United States Agency for International Development).
In 2001 this agency established the Country Strategic Plan for Peru for the years 2002-2006, in which, as demonstrated by recent experience, has allowed for the strengthening of the democratic institutions without which cooperation to development would be impossible.
The seven objectives proposed by the Strategic Plan are:
- Strengthening of the democratic processes and institutions
- Reduction of poverty
- Improvements in health services for Peruvians at high risk
- Strengthening in the handling of the environment
- Reduction in the illegal cultivation of coca through alternative development
- Expansion of the educational possibilities for women in the country
- Improvement in the quality of life of the Peruvian residents living in the zone of the Peru-Ecuador border
The United States represents the most important source of bilateral cooperation to Peru, contributing almost 40% of this type of help. Nevertheless, during recent years this assistance has diminished, a fact that can be explained because the region as a whole has received less resources, because the United States has placed a priority on other objectives within the region, and because, in the case of food assistance, the situation in the country has improved, and for this reason resources have been granted to other nations with more acute alimentary needs.
During the fiscal year 2005, Peru received resources of US$ 101 million. These resources were directed to alternative development (US$ 53 million) food security (US$ 21 million) health (US$ 13.7 million) strengthening democracy (US$ 9.2 million) environment (US$ 4.5 million) economic growth and the reduction of poverty (US$ 2.9 million) education (US$2.4 million) and for the Peruvian-Ecuadorian border (US$ 1.4 million).