Lima, 3 June 2014 “The World Resources Forum 2014 will contribute to the improvement of the sustainability and competitiveness of our policies”, stated the Peruvian vice Minister of the Environment, Mariano Castro, at the press conference launching WRF 2014 in the facilities of the Ministry of the Environment (MINAM).
Peru is ready to host the WRF this year and the official announcement was made during this first press conference with the presence of the vice Minister of the Environment, Mariano Castro, the WRF Program Director, Mathias Schluep, the Swiss Ambassador in Peru, Hans Ruedi Bortis, the Deputy Head of Mission of the Dutch Embassy in Peru, Edwin Keijzer, and the local organisers.
The meeting was opened by Mathias Schluep who introduced the main topics, as well as its relevance for the region in relation to the increasing role that Latin America plays in the mining industry and the consequences for its resource management.
Many countries are showing commitment for international cooperation and agreement in the matter of resource efficiency, like the Netherlands, as emphasized by the Dutch representative, Edwin Keijzer.
Vice Minister Castro expressed his enthusiasm about the scientific contributions submitted by local and international researchers for the WRF 2014 scientific sessions, since Peru seeks to build better public policies based on scientific work in the field.
Dr Bruno Oberle, Director Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) and vice President of the World Resources Forum Association Board, sent a video message declaring the importance of the WRF initiative and the support of the Swiss government. He highlighted the relevance of natural resources as a production factor: “Economy and the environment are not opposite poles, on the contrary, natural resources are an indispensable production factor and we must use them as efficiently as other production factors, like money or labour”.
The Swiss Ambassador emphasized the growing Swiss cooperation with Peru and the need for a dynamic platform, such as the World Resources Forum. He congratulated the WRF and its Peruvian colleagues for the efforts.
More than 800 participants from all over the world are expected to visit Arequipa to participate in WRF 2014. They will have the chance to attend to workshops organized by local and international institutions, to share knowledge in the scientific and plenary sessions and network with important players from all over the world.
Find the WRF 2014 program and the WRF 2014 flyer here.
For further information, please contact María Lucía Híjar. Find her contact details in the WRF Staff Directory.
The press release in Spanish can be found here (pdf) and more details very soon.
