The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative requested consultations with Peru after the government moved its independent forest resources supervisory agency under the jurisdiction of its ministry of environment.
The shift appears to violate a provision in the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA), which states that the Agency for the Supervision of Forest Resources and Wildlife (OSINFOR) must be an “independent and separate agency,” according to the USTR.
“Since its creation in 2008, OSINFOR has played a critical role in Peru detecting and combatting illegal logging, and we are gravely concerned that its independence is threatened,” U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in a statement. “I urge Peru to abide by its obligations and restore OSINFOR’s separateness and independence, as called for in the PTPA.”
It is the first request by the U.S. for consultations made under the PTPA.
