Elections & Political Processes: Success Stories
Peru: National Accord Reflects Citizen's Ideas
Ucayali is a region deep within Peru's Amazon jungle. Although there are daily flights from Lima to Pucallpa, the capital of the Ucayali region, the lives of the 95,000 inhabitants of tropical Pucallpa couldn't be more different from those of people living in cosmopolitan Lima. Despite the distances and the different living conditions, over the last year people in Ucayali had a chance to contribute to the design of long-term goals for their country. In meetings organized by a Peruvian university with USAID support, representatives of native communities, businessmen, health workers, accountants, church representatives and regular citizens in Ucayali commented on drafts of 29 principles for Peru's development over the next twenty years. A number of their specific suggestions were incorporated into the final document, called the National Accord, which was signed in July by all political parties in Peru as well as civil society organizations.
This document provides a vision for the long-term development of Peru, highlighting the key principles of democracy and rule of law, equity and social justice, country competitiveness and an efficient, transparent and decentralized state. With USAID support, the Government of Peru organized 25 different meetings - covering all major regions of Peru - over a three week period to present the draft principles for the National Accord. Nationwide, more than 1,000 people participated in these meetings, providing specific suggestions on how these national principles could better reflect their vision and perspective of the kind of country they wanted to have.
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