As Ambassador Gustavo Laurie Escandón prepares to leave Norway and return to Peru, he shares insights into his country’s journey to signing the Copenhagen Declaration and joining the Blue Justice Initiative. This step by the Peruvian government marked a significant step in mitigating. transnational organized crime in the fishing industry.
Ambassador Laurie Escandon sees substantial opportunities in Peru’s participation in the Blue Justice Initiative beyond the Copenhagen Declaration itself. “Having a space where exchanges of experiences could be happening is already a good first step,” he explains, noting the success of the Blue Justice Initiative in Jamaica and the Caribbean region.
Expected Benefits from Blue Justice
The Ambassador highlights the practical benefits he anticipates for Peru: “We see the benefit of getting satellite, better satellite images that will allow us to clearly identify and try to stop the illegal fishing that is happening in the waters close to the seawater close to Peru.” He emphasizes the quality of these images, stating, that the quality of the images they have seen are “extremely good”. And they allow for the identification of the boats.”
Beyond surveillance, the Ambassador envisions stronger prosecution capabilities. He expresses confidence that “as a consequence or as a follow-up to joining the Blue Justice Initiative, prosecution of these crimes related to organized illegal fishing will take place.”
A Thorough Internal Process
The path to signing the Copenhagen Declaration was marked by comprehensive consultations across Peru’s government sectors. “This consultative process in Peru was thorough and comprehensive one,” Ambassador Laurie Escandón notes, explaining why Peru took longer than other South American countries to join.
The consultation was led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, engaging key stakeholders including the Ministry of Trade (which houses fisheries), the Ministry of Defense, the Office of the Prosecutor, and the Ministry of Interior. That way, all sectors were consulted, securing a broad commitment and continunity across departments and sectors. Ambassador Laurie Escandón also highlights the institutional strength of Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noting that “regardless who is leading a government in Peru, the people in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs remains the same.”
Peru’s International Engagement
Ambassador Laurie Escandón emphasizes Peru’s significant contribution to the Blue Justice Initiative. “Peru is one of the most important countries in terms of fisheries, so we have considerable experience in this domain,” he states.
He notes that Peru is already active in regional efforts through the Commission on the South Pacific, working with Ecuador, Colombia, and Chile to address illegal fishing. Additionally, Peru stands as the only South American country in the Nature Crime Alliance, an initiative supported by Norway and the UK.
Looking forward, the Ambassador envisions regional cooperation: “Let’s say Panama, I’m going South, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile, and maybe some countries from Central America face similar challenges regarding illegal fisheries in terms of capture.”
A True Partnership and Future Commitment
As he prepares to leave Norway, Ambassador Laurie Escandón offers a compelling perspective on what makes the Blue Justice Initiative special. “A partnership with a little p is when the support provided is by the donor to the beneficiary. Partnership with a big P is when countries cooperate, when they work together with a common vision.”
He sees Blue Justice as embodying this higher form of partnership: “I think that maybe the Blue Justice Initiative is an opportunity to foster partnerships with capital P. That’s why I like it very much. It’s not just the donor country giving goodies to the south.”
His final assessment underscores the significance of Norway’s approach: “What Norway has done with the Blue Justice Initiative is truly impressive, because the Declaration of Copenhagen is just that, it’s a declaration… But the Blue Justice Initiative, provides a framework, which is efficient so far as we have seen it,.”
For Ambassador Laurie Escandón, Peru’s accession to the Copenhagen Declaration and joining of the Blue Justice Initiative represents not just a diplomatic achievement during his tenure, but a commitment to what he describes as “the vision of a world where these crimes related to the fishing industry are no longer creating all these problems” – a vision he will continue to champion even after leaving Oslo.