Peru to Lead Americas Anti-Crime Forum

PERU · SECURITY

Peru will chair the anti-crime forum of the Organization of American States (OAS) for 2026 to 2028, its Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday 14 October. The OAS is the regional body of the governments of the Americas, with its headquarters in Washington.

Member states chose Peru by acclamation to lead the forum, where governments agree on joint steps against criminal networks that cross borders. Lima announced the result on the same day the head of US Southern Command held security talks in Peru.

How Peru Won the Chair

Ecuador and Paraguay proposed Peru, and the member states approved it by acclamation at the anti-crime forum’s fifth meeting, Peru’s Foreign Ministry said. The statement was released on Wednesday evening, Lima time.

Foreign Minister Carlos Espá, Peru’s top diplomat under President Keiko Fujimori, thanked the member states in a recorded message. Fujimori, founder of the conservative Fuerza Popular party, has made fighting crime a priority of her government.

Espá also praised Argentina for its work in the outgoing chair. Argentina’s then security minister, Patricia Bullrich, was elected in April 2024 to chair the fifth meeting, the Argentine outlet Economis reported.

What the Forum Does

The forum’s formal name is the Meetings of National Authorities on Transnational Organized Crime, known by its Spanish initials RANDOT. The OAS describes it as the political forum for dialogue and cooperation among member states on organised crime.

The anti-crime forum meets every two years under a chair that rotates among member states, and its meetings produce recommendations. Its work follows the Palermo Convention, the UN treaty against transnational organised crime, and an OAS hemispheric plan of action.

During its term, Peru will push cooperation between national authorities and the timely exchange of information, the ministry said. Lima also wants more use of financial intelligence and the recovery of assets linked to criminal activity.

Why Washington Is Watching

The previous meeting of the anti-crime forum, in April 2024 at OAS headquarters in Washington, was chaired by the United States, according to the OAS. Peru has since moved closer to the US security agenda in the region.

In September, Peru joined the Shield of the Americas, an initiative promoted by President Donald Trump to coordinate regional action against drug cartels. Fujimori announced the step on Thursday 10 September during a Lima visit by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Infobae Perú reported.

Southern Command, the Pentagon’s headquarters for Latin America and the Caribbean, sent its chief, General Francis L. Donovan, to Peru on Wednesday 14 October. He met Defence Minister Rafael Belaúnde and US Ambassador Bernie Navarro in Iquitos for talks on illegal mining and cross-border crime.

Peru’s Crime Fight at Home

Espá said fighting organised crime is a priority for the government because it harms public safety and development opportunities. He named extortion, drug trafficking, illegal mining, human trafficking and arms trafficking as threats that need a coordinated response across the Americas.

The chair comes as Lima reorganises its own security effort, including a new security commission of five ministers. On Sunday 4 October, state daily El Peruano said Espá and OAS Secretary General Albert Ramdin had renewed a Peru–OAS security pact in Washington.

Successive Peru–OAS security action plans will cover citizen security, drug trafficking, environmental crime, cybersecurity and specialised skills, according to El Peruano. Espá said the pact would give Peru new tools to respond more effectively to crime that crosses borders.

What It Means for You

For travellers and investors, nothing changes at once, because the anti-crime forum sets a political agenda and does not run police operations. The chair gives Lima a louder voice on how the region tracks criminal money and shares information until 2028.

For US readers, the choice fits a wider pattern of closer security ties between Lima and Washington. Peru joined the Shield of the Americas in September and received the Pentagon’s top commander for the region on Wednesday 14 October.

What Is Not Known

The ministry did not say on which day or in which city the fifth meeting took place, or which recommendations it adopted. It also did not name the Peruvian official who will run the anti-crime forum’s work during the term.

Peru has not set out a budget or a calendar for its chairmanship, and no venue has been named for the next meeting. Peruvian authorities have also not announced any deployment of US troops in the country, Infobae Perú noted.

More: Peru news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the OAS anti-crime forum Peru will chair?

It is the Meetings of National Authorities on Transnational Organized Crime, the political forum where OAS member states discuss joint action against criminal networks. It meets every two years under a rotating chair and produces recommendations.

How was Peru chosen?

Ecuador and Paraguay proposed Peru, and the member states approved it by acclamation at the anti-crime forum’s fifth meeting. Peru’s Foreign Ministry made the result public on Wednesday 14 October.

Why does it matter to the United States?

Washington has pushed the region to act together against drug cartels, and Peru joined the Trump-backed Shield of the Americas in September. The head of US Southern Command held security talks in Peru on Wednesday 14 October, the day the result was announced.

Does the chair change anything for visitors to Peru?

Not directly, since the forum works through recommendations and does not run police operations. Any effect will come through closer cooperation between national authorities over the next two years.

Sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru, press release 232-26, 14 October 2026; Organization of American States, RANDOT programme page, accessed 15 October 2026; Organization of American States, RANDOT IV event page, April 2024; Organization of American States, Department against Transnational Organized Crime events, accessed 15 October 2026; Latina Noticias, 14 October 2026; Ministry of Defence of Peru, press release, 14 October 2026; Infobae Perú, 15 October 2026; El Peruano, 4 October 2026; Economis, 9 April 2024.

Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error

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