Peoples Summit without logistical and financial support from the Government

- Marked by austerity, the People's Summit will host thousands of people.

By José Carlos Díaz Zanelli

Servindi, 1 December, 2014.- In parallel to the Conference of the Parties (COP 20) to be held from 1 to 12 of December, Lima will also be the host of the People's Summit on Climate Change, an event that will bring together thousands of people independently of governments and business groups.

The Alternative Summit will take place from 8 to 11 December. It is estimated that   between 1500 and 2000 people will attended each day. The number will rise to 15,000 on the 10th, day scheduled for the Peoples March against Climate Change.

However, although it will be a massive event, the Peruvian government has not given any support. According to the organizers, at the last moment they received a modest contribution which is not comparable with what is being spent on the official summit.

According to one of the official spokesperson for the People's Summit and General Secretary of the National Agrarian Confederation (CNA), Antolin Huascar, "Although we are hosting the alternative summit, the Government has not registered us to participate in the COP 20. Only some delegations that meet the requirements of the United Nations may participate as observers. "

No logistical support

Another problem facing the Alternative Summit is the lack of locations for its activities, as the government has denied certain places to accommodate other delegations.

"We've had dialogues with the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Women and other ministries and asked them to give us the National Stadium to welcome the thousands of participants, but they have refused. We are concerned, where are we going to welcome them?” said Lourdes Huanca, president of the women's organization Fenmucarinap.

Meanwhile, the Peruvian government spends more than US$70 million to host the COP 20, which will involve hundreds of official delegations in luxury hotels making use of public money.

So far, the main space for carrying out the activities of the People's Summit will be the Parque de la Exposición, an area which is insufficient to accommodate the large number of participants. For this reason, many activities and delegations will be distributed in various parts of the city.

The only government representative who made an announcement about the People's Summit was the Environment Minister, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, who confirmed that the State "will provide security at the event." For Antolin Huascar, this means not much more than a police guard.