U.S. interests in Peru center on promoting democracy, combating narcotics trafficking, and encouraging free market economic development. The experienced country team is cohesive and well led by an active Chief of Mission, whose counsel influences the Washington policy process. The Mission Performance Plan is comprehensive but needs updating to account for the dramatic political developments of the past year. Reporting assets also should be better integrated. Public affairs activities are effectively employed in support of Embassy goals. U.S. support for a free and fair presidential election has helped Peru recover somewhat from former president Fujimori?s scandal-plagued legacy. Democracy is intact but fragile. Continued U.S. engagement and coordination with the international community will be crucial. Counternarcotics operations, particularly eradication of coca (the raw material for cocaine), have slowed as the government copes with the immediacy of other issues. Peru?s weak economy fosters widespread poverty that provides fertile ground for the lure of drug cultivation and trafficking. The Embassy is effective in promoting U.S. trade with Peru.
The large chancery, built to Inman security standards, and U.S. personnel are well protected, although consolidation of U.S. agencies on the compound is ongoing and public access is difficult. American staff has grown by 33 percent since 1995, leading to overcrowding in some parts of the chancery and overburdened support systems. This will grow worse when 157 U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) staff move to a new building on the compound next year. Insufficient resources hamper Embassy operations. The consular section is addressing a massive growth in visa demand that has led to long lines and poor customer service. More local staff is needed, and public access must be facilitated. Foreign Service national employee morale has suffered because of large increases in health insurance premiums and the Embassy?s inability to adjust salaries and benefits according to the results of the latest local wage surveys.The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.