Peru Regional Governors Urge Executive Action on El Niño Preparedness
Luis Ernesto Neyra León, president of the National Assembly of Regional Governments (ANGR) and governor of Piura, has called on Peru's Executive branch to implement concrete measures to mitigate the potential impacts of the El Niño phenomenon, both globally and along the coast. Speaking at the X Regional State Council (CER), Neyra urged President José María Balcázar to initiate necessary actions immediately, emphasizing that it would be inappropriate to wait for the new national government's installation. The ANGR previously stated that transferring the execution of stalled "Reconstruction with Changes" (ARCC) projects to regional governments, following the entity's deactivation and the ANIN's creation in 2023, has not been sufficient for adequate disaster risk prevention. Neyra also requested that the President instruct ministers to incorporate prioritized regional projects and ensure the continuity of regional projects and works. He highlighted that regional governors have significantly improved budget execution, achieving over 92% since 2023, a result of high-level coordination in the Regional State Councils. The regions are seeking positive outcomes from these discussions before July 28th. Earlier, the ANGR had noted that a Supplementary Credit Law approved by Congress allocates less than 10% of ordinary resource investment funds to regional governments. Consequently, the ANGR reiterates its plea for the national government to guarantee the continuity of strategic regional works and investments, addressing demands that have been technically substantiated with the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
The urgency expressed by Peru's regional governors underscores a recurring challenge in disaster preparedness: the gap between national policy directives and localized implementation capacity, particularly concerning climate events like El Niño. The call for immediate action and continuity of projects highlights the critical need for robust, cross-governmental frameworks that transcend electoral cycles and administrative reorganizations. The ANGR's improved budget execution rates suggest enhanced regional governance, yet their dependence on national funding and project approval reveals systemic vulnerabilities. Future strategies should focus on empowering regional bodies with greater fiscal autonomy and long-term planning mechanisms, ensuring that disaster mitigation and infrastructure resilience are not subject to the vagaries of political transitions or funding allocations that disproportionately favor central initiatives.
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