Posted on September 6, 2021
Lime. A total of 54 civil society organizations and indigenous peoples signed the statement that supports the reinstatement of Luis Alberto Gonzáles-Zúñiga as executive director of the National Forest and Wildlife Service - SERFOR, who was arbitrarily removed in March 2020. Likewise, the signatories express the need to strengthen the institutional framework of the national forest authority; as well as reinforcing the transparency of the wood traceability processes in the country.
It should be noted that Gonzales-Zúñiga and his team had initiated actions to strengthen the frameworks of transparency, traceability, and the fight against illegal logging, affecting the interests of those who benefit from a situation of little control and corruption, both from the public sector and from the public sector. private; which resulted in his untimely dismissal.
As a consequence, in March 2020, June 2020 and February 2021, dozens of Peruvian and international organizations signed public statements warning about this situation. In this sense, those who subscribe to the current pronouncement have raised three key points that are detailed in the following document:
We welcome the judicial order of reinstatement of the Director of Serfor
We demand that the institutional framework of the Forest and Wildlife Sector be strengthened and that those who have been attacking them be investigated
The signatory civil society and indigenous peoples organizations salute the judicial resolution that orders the immediate reinstatement of Luis Alberto Gonzáles-Zúñiga Guzmán as executive director of the National Forest and Wildlife Service (Serfor), who was untimely removed from office in June of 2020. The ruling concludes that the termination resolution - signed by former President Martín Vizcarra and endorsed by former Minister Jorge Montenegro - was illegal and declared it null and void, while declaring the amparo filed by Gonzáles-Zúñiga founded.
In his ruling, Judge Iván Alfredo Cabrera determined that “it is evidenced that the Supreme Resolution No. 002-2020-MINAGRI questioned that concludes the appointment of the plaintiff as executive director, was not issued in accordance with the Law”, and proceeded to “ order the defendant (Presidential Office and Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation) to replace the plaintiff (Gonzales-Zúñiga) in the position of Executive Director of the National Forest and Wildlife Service - Serfor ”.
Beyond resolving the specific issue of the illegal removal of Gonzales-Zúñiga, this judicial resolution has great relevance with respect to the institutionality of the Peruvian Forestry and Wildlife Sector, which was severely beaten when the Government of the day passed over the government with impunity. laws, its powers and the Serfor Board of Directors to get rid of an official who was uncomfortable. While Gonzales-Zúñiga's reinstatement order is a step in the right direction, it is not the only one necessary. His removal showed, for example, that the current design of the Serfor Board of Directors is not adequate to guarantee and defend the necessary independence and institutional framework in the sector.
It should be remembered that, as director of Serfor, Gonzales-Zúñiga had initiated actions to strengthen the frameworks of transparency, traceability and combating illegal logging, affecting the interests of those who benefit from a situation of little control and corruption both from the public and private sector. The physical and political attacks against Gonzales-Zúñiga and his team did not take long. For this reason, in March 2020, June 2020 and February 2021, dozens of Peruvian and international organizations spoke out first in the face of the threats of arbitrary removal against Gonzales-Zúñiga, then before his dismissal and, finally, before the process of selection of a new executive director without the judicial power having previously resolved the Amparo Action, which now agrees with him.
In addition, the attacks to disrupt the progress made in the institutional framework of the forestry and wildlife sector do not begin with this case; Rather, the attempt to eliminate the public tender to appoint the head of the Forest Resources and Wildlife Supervision Agency (Osinfor) or the relocation of this agency (removing it from the PCM and passing it to the Ministry of the Environment) against of its own technical opinion and against the commitments assumed by Peru in the FTA with the United States. In both cases the government had to back down, but so far no investigation has been carried out on the responsibility of the ministers and other officials involved in the violation of regulations that meant severe blows against the institutions and against some Osinfor officials.
We consider that an essential step for the construction of a solid forestry and wildlife institutionality is to end the impunity of those who attempt against it. For this reason, we request the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic, the Office of the Attorney General of the State, the Office of the Prosecutor of the Nation and the Congress of the Republic that, as soon as possible, initiate the necessary investigation processes to identify the administrative responsibilities, civil and criminal offenses of the officials who are responsible for the illegalities committed against the country's forestry and wildlife institutions.
For the reasons stated here and in order to strengthen the institutional framework of the forestry and wildlife sector, we request:
- Strengthen transparent wood traceability processes.
- Establish in a clear and transparent manner the grounds for removal for the position of executive director of Serfor and for the members of its board of directors.
- Publish the minutes of the sessions of the Serfor Board of Directors on the Serfor institutional web portal no later than the day after each session, starting by updating the minutes still pending.
Finally, we offer our support to contribute to the establishment of these institutional adjustments and we reiterate our firm commitment to continue working together, from civil society, indigenous organizations and the public sector in favor of a transparent, sustainable and sustainable forest and wildlife sector. socially fair.
- Environmental Investigation Agency - EIA (Environmental Investigation Agency)
- Alto Chicama Environmental Solutions Eirl
- Amazonians for the Amazon - AMPA
- Amazon Watch
- Peruvian Association for the Conservation of Nature - APECO
- ProPurús Association
- Rural Educational Services Association
- Center for International Environmental Law - CIEL
- Environmental Engineering Student Center - UNMSM
- Center for the Development of the Amazonian Indigenous - CEDIA
- College of Engineers of Peru - Moyobamba
- Pucallpa Human Rights Commission
- Episcopal Commission for Social Action - CEAS
- Water Defense Committee
- Pucallpa Human Rights Committee - CODEH Pucallpa
- Peruvian Agroecological Consortium - CAP
- CooperAction
- National Coordinator of Human Rights
- Law, Environment and Natural Resources - DAR
- Community education
- Indigenous Pastoral Team Vicariato Apostolic Pucallpa
- Federation of Native Communities of Ucayali and Tributaries - FECONAU
- National Federation of KaKataibo Communities - FENACOKA
- National Federation of Peasant, Artisan, Native Indigenous and Salaried Women of Peru - FENMUCARINAP
- Ecological Forum of Peru
- Ecumenical Foundation for Development and Peace - FEDEPAZ
- SEPAR Group
- Institute of Legal Defense (IDL)
- Institute for Legal Defense of the Environment and Sustainable Development - IDLADS Peru
- Runa Pacha Institute (IRUPA)
- Environmental Juris
- Kené, Institute of Forestry and Environmental Studies
- Missionaries of Mary Immaculate
- Citizen Movement against Climate Change - MOCICC
- Manuela Ramos Movement
- Oceana Peru
- Regional Organization AIDESEP Ucayali - ORAU
- Regional Organization of Indigenous Women of the Atalaya Province - ORMIPA
- Oxfam
- Pastoral of the Land of the Apostolic Vicariate of Yurimaguas
- Peace and hope
- Proética, Peruvian Chapter of Transparency International
- Peruvian Environmental Network - RAP
- Ecological Agriculture Network - RAE PERÚ
- Red Interquorum Ucayali
- National Network of Voluntary and Communal Conservation "Amazonía Que Late"
- Peruvian Network for a Globalization with Equity - RedGE
- Rumbos Magazine
- Santa Catalina de Sena - Peru Zone
- Intercultural Communication Services - SERVINDI
- Peruvian Ecodesarrollo Society - SPDE
- Zoological Society of Frankfurt Peru
- Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Maldonado
- Yubarta Islands