NGO Restrictions in Peru Endanger the Amazon and Its People

NGO Restrictions in Peru Endanger the Amazon and Its People

In Peru, corruption and political instability are fuelling a growing crisis of insecurity and violence. The country’s latest upheaval, following the removal of former president Dina Boluarte and the rise of José Jerí, has opened the door to new laws that undermine basic rights and weaken protections for Indigenous Peoples and the rainforest they protect.

What Are the New NGO Restrictions in Peru?

A new amendment to the law governing the Peruvian Agency for International Cooperation (APCI) gives the government sweeping powers over civil society.

What was once a technical body ensuring transparency in international funding is now a political filter. Under the new law, APCI can approve, or block, any project supported by international funds. It can even suspend or permanently shut down organisations that question the Peruvian State or threaten “public order.”

This law affects all groups working with international cooperation funds, including Indigenous organisations that depend on them to defend their lands, rights, and futures. Despite its direct impact, no prior consultation with Indigenous Peoples was carried out, another breach of their rights.

Indigenous Peoples in the Amazon are often the last defence to keep this vital ecosystem standing. They are also on the frontlines of the climate crisis, and face illegal extractive industries trying to take their land. They need support now.

Why It Matters

Imagine being part of an Asháninka community in the Amazon. One morning, you find your river, the one you fish from and bathe in, slick with oil. Reporting it triggers a slow chain of bureaucracy. Justice rarely follows.
For years, international cooperation has been the safety net when national systems fail. It enables Indigenous organisations to access legal advice, document environmental damage, and take their cases to international courts, like the landmark La Oroya ruling, where the Inter-American Court of Human Rights held the Peruvian State accountable for mining pollution.

Without this support, communities lose their most powerful defence: the ability to seek justice.

Silencing Those Who Defend the Forest

“The APCI Law condemns us to disappear as Indigenous Peoples’ organisations,” warns Ketty Marcelo of ONAMIAP.
By banning activities that “affect public order,” this law could criminalise anyone who dares to criticise injustice or defend Indigenous land. It threatens the right to organise, to speak freely, and to protect the rainforest itself.

Indigenous peoples protect 37% of the worlds intact forests, whilst only making up 5% of the world’s population.

The Amazon Will Not Be Silenced

Despite mounting legal barriers, Indigenous Peoples across Peru continue to resist. Every attempt to silence them weakens not only their sovereignty but the global fight against climate change.

The Amazon connects us all. Standing with those who defend it is standing up for our shared future.