Event Summary
On 23 October 2025, the Congress of the Republic of Peru approved the regulations governing the new bicameral Congress for 2026, which will eliminate the current Commission on Andean, Amazonian, and Afro-Peruvian Peoples, Environment and Ecology – and replace it with a new Commission on Environment and Sustainability. The eliminated Commission is a congressional committee that has provided an important platform for engagement with indigenous groups in Peru. As such, this decision represents a serious setback for the protection of Indigenous and Afro-Peruvian rights, the environment, and the guarantee of their representation in political participation.
The Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP) issued a statement rejecting this measure, noting that it represents an “institutional, political, democratic, and historical setback for Indigenous peoples”. Furthermore, they stated that establishment of the new Commission in practice “means the disappearance of the only specialized parliamentary body that provides a technical, differentiated, and intercultural approach to the problems faced by Indigenous peoples”. A constitutional lawyer at the Legal Defense Institute also stated that this measure represents a setback in terms of prior consultation, highlighting that there must have been consultations before taking this measure that directly affects Indigenous peoples. On the other hand, the congressmen who support the measure argued that it is based on the need establish a budget cap for the functioning of the upcoming chambers.
This measure signals a progressive deterioration of the enabling environment for citizen participation by further reducing the already limited spaces for dialogue and oversight between the government and indigenous communities. Its elimination would affect not only their ability to influence the formulation of public policies that affect them, but also the response to their social and environmental demands and their capacity to defend their collective rights.