Agreement signed to strengthen Brazil-Peru border zone

(Rio Branco, June 15, 2012).- In the Brazilian state of Acre, CAF - development bank of Latin America - and the foreign ministers of Brazil and Peru signed an agreement to finance the project Development and Integration Strategy for the South sector of the Cross-Border Integration Zone between the two nations.

The agreement was signed by Moira Paz Estenssoro, CAF director representative in Brazil; Carlos Alfredo Lazary, Brazilian ambassador to Peru; and Jorge Porfirio Bayona, Peruvian ambassador to Brazil.

During the signing the representative of the financial institution said "with this project CAF is supporting the efforts of the governments of Brazil and Peru to deepen integration and economic relations between the two countries by promoting the economic, social, environmental and institutional development of provinces and municipalities in Madre de Dios, Cusco and Puno departments in Peru, and Acre and Amazonas states in Brazil."

Paz Estenssoro reaffirmed CAF’s mission in favor of regional integration and cross- border development. "We are giving priority support to regional and local governments through studies, diagnoses and projects in physical infrastructure, productive development and social inclusion."

The project is established under the agreement by the presidents of the two republics reached at their meeting in Manaus (June 2011) where they pledged to create a cross-border integration zone to promote integration, while respecting national cultural identity, and achieve sustainable development by paying special attention to future potential and asymmetries through coordinated efforts.

The project will set up a long-term planning instrument and a program of priority actions to be executed in the south of the Brazilian-Peruvian cross-border zone, which has benefited from infrastructure works executed by the countries in the framework of the IIRSA initiative which now becomes part of the UNASUR South American Infrastructure and Planning Council, with CAF support.

Specifically, the objectives of both nations are economic and social complementarity, a culture of peace, cooperation for sustainable management of protected natural resources and addressing the needs of vulnerable communities, as well as simplifying border control procedures, among others.

The funds for this project come from the CAF Cross-Border Cooperation and Integration Fund (COPIF) which supports regional integration initiatives as part of the Cross-Border Development and Integration Support Program (PADIF), set up by the institution to contribute to improve the quality of life of -the inhabitants of cross-border areas in the region.