The Environmental Dialogue Table with International Cooperation, led by the Ministry of Environment of Peru, aims to strengthen the alignment of environmental actions with national policies and enhance coordination between government and international partners.
©FAO / Edson Vandeira
Peru has been a partner country of the Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI) since 2014 and was nominated to participate in the Country-Led Planning (CLP) programme in 2024 to support the institutionalization and long-term sustainability of its national forest monitoring system (NFMS). Under strong national leadership, Peru has made significant progress in this regard, strengthening environmental information systems and coordination mechanisms.
The Ministry of Environment of Peru (MINAM) officially launched Mesa Verde (2026–2027), a coordination forum with international cooperation agencies and public entities aimed at aligning environmental priorities, financing and action. This mechanism brings together embassies, cooperation agencies and partner organizations to coordinate technical and financial efforts around the national environmental agenda, strengthen intersectoral coordination and generate concrete results on the ground through thematic working groups co-led by MINAM and cooperation agencies.
The Mesa Verde forum was inaugurated by the Minister of Environment, Mr Miguel Ángel Espichán Mariñas; the Minister of Economy and Finance, Ms Denisse Miralles Miralles; and the Ambassador of the European Union to Peru, Mr Jonathan Hatwell. Directors from various sectors were in attendance, along with diplomatic representatives, cooperation agencies and non-governmental organizations.
“Under the principles of effectiveness, shared responsibility, and transparency, today we reaffirm our commitment to reactivate and strengthen this space as a key mechanism to address environmental challenges with a strategic, sustainable, and long-term perspective,” said Miguel Ángel Espichán Mariñas, Minister of Environment of Peru.
The Ministry of Environment presented strategic guidelines to take effective action on pressing environmental matters, including climate change, sustainable finance and the circular economy.
Priorities under this guideline focus on strengthening climate action and nature conservation by reducing deforestation and degradation, conserving and restoring ecosystems, and strengthening environmental monitoring as a foundation for decision making and the fulfillment of national and international commitments.
Key actions include:
These priorities focus on mobilizing sustainable finance and developing innovative instruments aligned with the Green Finance Roadmap (see infographic here) to promote investments that contribute to biodiversity conservation, climate action and sustainable development.
Key actions include:
Priorities for this guideline focus on improving resource efficiency, reducing waste and transitioning toward more sustainable production and consumption models within the framework of the National Circular Economy Roadmap to 2030.
Key actions include:
Interventions noted the importance of the Mesa Verde as a space for coordination and horizontal dialogue, as well as its potential to advance commitments with concrete results. Ongoing initiatives in climate finance, forest monitoring, early warning systems, ecosystem restoration and food security were showcased. The role of Mesa Verde in harmonizing cooperation with national priorities and foreign policy was also emphasized, highlighting its multisectoral, multilevel and multi-actor nature.
In closing, participants emphasized the need to define measurable targets, ensure results in the short, medium and long term, and strengthen coordination for sustainability. Priority areas were also noted to be multisectoral and to require innovative financing that combines cooperation with public resources.
In this context, the establishment of Mesa Verde confirms a growing priority in the Government of Peru to strengthen environmental information management and multipurpose ecosystem monitoring as a foundation for planning, decision making and implementing public policies. This emphasis reinforces the relevance of the GFOI’s Country-Led Planning process, which aims to assist countries in the planning, institutionalization and sustainability of their national monitoring systems under country leadership and in coordination with international partners.
In Peru, progress in strengthening the national forest monitoring system and the development of the Center for Monitoring and Evaluation of Ecosystems and Natural Resources (CMERN) reflect advances in the institutionalization of monitoring and the expansion of its use across different national agendas, as well as for tracking and reporting on international commitments.
“We are working on the implementation of CMERN in a coordinated manner within MINAM, consolidating progress and strengthening articulation with other sectors while ensuring the long-term sustainability of multipurpose information,” said William Llactayo León, Director General of Land-Use Planning and Integrated Natural Resource Management, MINAM.
