With its rich reserves of copper, Peru is poised to play a key role in global supply chains for projects to reduce carbon emissions and enable the transition to a green economy. But the polarized nature of Peruvian politics is a significant obstacle to realizing this potential. Political instability and the steady turnover of ministers and civil servants in relevant ministries over recent years have affected the capacity of the Peruvian state to promote an inclusive national vision for its mining industry. At the same time, fragmentation among political parties has hampered the capacity of the political system to represent consistent and coherent policy interests.
Ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for 2026, now is the time to initiate a broad dialogue with different layers of society – including government, citizens and the private sector – over the future vision and agenda for Peru as a mining economy. To make this happen, this research paper argues that convening a series of broad-based multi-sectoral dialogues is essential to develop inclusive points of consensus on mining, development and to secure Peru’s place in global supply chains.
