From the Sacred Headwaters Alliance, in our role as co-coordinators of the Working Group on the Impacts of Hydrocarbons (GTIH) of the National Human Rights Coordinator of Peru (CNDDHH), together with the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Amazon (AIDESEP) and the office of Congresswoman Ruth Luque, we invite civil society to take part in the Public Forum: Amazon Without Oil – Pathways Toward a Just Transition, to be held on Tuesday, August 5 at 3:30 p.m. at the José Faustino Sánchez Carrión Auditorium, located at Jr. Azángaro 468, Cercado de Lima. Amazon Without Oil – Pathways Toward a Just Transition a realizarse el próximo martes 5 de agosto, a las 3.30 pm. En el Auditorio José Faustino Sánchez Carrión, ubicado en Jr. Azángaro 468, Cercado de Lima.
According to official data, 1,460 oil spills occurred in Peru between 1997 and 2023—831 of them in the Amazon. The annual average of hydrocarbon-related spills increased from 41.3 (1997–2019) to 146 (2020–May 2023)—a 353% increase. Just two regions—Loreto and Piura—account for 87% of these incidents.
For instance, conditions in territories surrounding oil concessions in northern Loreto remain dire. The abandonment plan for Block 1AB (now Block 192)—pending since the end of operations by Pluspetrol in 2015—remains unfulfilled, with an estimated remediation cost of 5 billion soles.
In 2024 and 2025 alone, 78 spills have been recorded in Blocks 8 and 192, exposing severe infrastructure decay and mismanagement by the state-run companies responsible. On top of this is the financial mismanagement and near-bankruptcy of PetroPerú, the state-owned operator of the Norperuvian Pipeline and various oil blocks. Indigenous representatives report that the company lacks the funds for basic environmental remediation and to support affected communities and territories.
In this context, the Public Forum: Amazon Without Oil – Pathways Toward a Just Transition aims to open dialogue on energy transition legislation in the Amazon. The discussion will be grounded in four legislative proposals championed by parliamentarians from Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, and Colombia, in direct dialogue with leaders from the most influential Indigenous organizations in the Peruvian Amazon.
Speakers will include parliamentarians Ruth Luque Ibarra (Peru), Rosa Cecilia Baltazar (Ecuador), and Juan Carlos Losada (Colombia), who will present proposals aligned on key principles: halting new oil operations in the Amazon biome, recognizing the region’s ecological and cultural significance, defending Indigenous rights, and building pathways toward a just, people-centered energy transition.These efforts are being developed in collaboration with Indigenous leaders: Apu Miguel Guimaraes, Vice President of AIDESEP; Elmer Kunchim, President of the Achuar National Federation of Peru (FENAP); and Robinson Sandi, President of the Organization of Indigenous Kichwa Peoples of the Peru–Ecuador Border (OPIKAFPE). Representing the Working Group on the Impact of Hydrocarbons (GTIH) and the Sacred Headwaters Alliance will be Eduardo Pichilingue, Director of Pachamama Alliance Peru.
Para asistir del foro público, registrarse en: https://forms.gle/TnQc9ePfPcCkVmXd6 To attend the public forum, register at: https://forms.gle/TnQc9ePfPcCkVmXd6 You can also watch the live broadcast at: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EBXttWfbe/ https://www.facebook.com/share/1EBXttWfbe/