The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of Pension Standardization (ONP) of Peru, with the support of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), will develop the videoconference "Pensions without Borders" to inform Peruvian compatriots residing in Canada about the benefits of the National Pension System within the framework of the International Social Security Agreements.

It will explain the operation of the National Pension System, the way to prove the contributions and the documents necessary to carry out the process, the types of pensions and insured, the scope of application of the agreement and its benefits, the entities in charge of the management in both countries and service channels.

The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) of Peru announced that as a result of the Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) of APEC 2023 —recently held in Detroit, from May 25 to 27—, the 21 economies present at the meeting discussed issues such as the relationship between trade and workers, support for SMEs, and the multilateral trading system.

In the first session, Minister Juan Carlos Mathews said that Peru is working to complement the internal procedures for the ratification of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. Then, he thanked the APEC economies for supporting Peru's initiative, which proposes a new approach to the Asia-Pacific Free Trade Area, so that actions on the preparation work schedule become updated in 2024.

During the second session, focused on promoting sustainable and inclusive trade, Minister Mathews mentioned that Peru is implementing initiatives to strengthen capacities and integrate women into international trade. One of them is "Ella Exporta" (She Exports) Program by PromPerú, which has already benefited more than 100 women entrepreneurs nationwide.

Peru will once again host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum. This time, this multilateral summit, made up of 21 economies, will be held next year in the Andean city of Cusco, home to the world wonder of Machu Picchu.

This event will allow Peru to be a destination for investment and tourism, contributing to the post-pandemic economic recovery process. APEC 2024 will gather leaders, ministers of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, senior officials, academics, experts, and business leaders from economies throughout the year, including the United States, China, Japan, Russia, Korea, and Canada.

The 2024 Presidency will be an opportunity for Peru to evaluate issues of collective interest for the forum, with a positive effect on the national agenda. The transition from informal economic agents to the formal economy, women's economic empowerment, small and medium-sized enterprises, innovation and digitalization, environmental sustainability, anti-corruption, and food security, among others, are the topics that the event will offer to address

On May 26th, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) has submitted Peru's request to adhere to the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA). This presentation took place and was made official during a meeting between Mincetur's head Juan Carlos Mathews and Trade & Export Growth Minister of New Zealand, Damien O'Connor.

"Peru's participation in this Agreement will strengthen digital commerce among DEPA member countries, facilitate the cross-border flow of data, and promote greater participation of our entrepreneurs and MSMEs in the benefits from digital transformation", Minister Mathews highlighted.

Within this framework, the Cabinet member stressed that for Peru the DEPA will be key to boosting the trade of digital products and services, thus benefiting micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises that seek to join global value chains.

There is also great interest from Canada to join DEPA, as it aligns well with Canada's national and international policy objectives. Thus, on May 22, 2022, Canada submitted a formal request to begin negotiations for Canada's accession to DEPA and on August 24, the DEPA Parties established a Working Group for Canada to begin accession negotiations.

On May 19, the G7 leaders visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum with Prime Minister KISHIDA and signed the guest book as follows.
The Right Honourable Justin TRUDEAU, Prime Minister of Canada... [Canada pays solemn tribute to the many lives lost, the unspeakable grief of the Hibakusha, and the immense suffering of the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.Votre histoire restera à jamais gravée dans notre conscience collective.]
H.E. Mr. Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic... [Avec émotion et compassion, il nous appartient de contribuer au devoir de mémoire des victimes d'Hiroshima et d’agir en faveur de la paix, seul combat qui mérite d’être mené.]
Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan... [As Chair of the G7, I am gathering here to realize a "World Without Nuclear Weapons" with the leaders of G7 countries on this historic occasion of the G7 Summit.]

On May 19th, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, held a summit meeting with the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada.

Prime Minister Kishida started by expressing his gratitude for Canada’s generous and humanitarian support to evacuate Japanese nationals from Sudan. Then the two leaders exchanged their views on the situation in East Asia and concurred that they will continue close coordination in addressing issues related to China and responding to North Korea including the nuclear and missiles issue and the abductions issue. Also exchanged their views on the situation in Ukraine, and confirmed that the G7 will continue to coordinate closely to impose sanctions against Russia and provide support for Ukraine.

The two leaders welcomed the progress in the implementation of the "Japan-Canada Action Plan Contributing to a Free and Open Indo-Pacific Region" as the holding of the official negotiation on the Comprehensive Information Security Agreement. They also agreed to launch official negotiations on a Japan-Canada Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.

A side-event on the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) took place on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima on May 20. It was attended by leaders of the G7 (Canada, Germany, Italy), representatives of the countries invited to the G7 Summit (Indonesia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Vietnam, Republic of Korea, India, and Australia), private sector participants, and the president of the Bank World.

At the side event, G7 expressed their intention to mobilize private capital for infrastructure investment in partner countries, in collaboration with a wide range of actors. Prime Minister Kishida explained the initiatives of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment and its Flagship projects.

The "Climate Actions by Cities" is one of these projects that will help cities attract investment to implement their climate action plans. The Climate Finance Facility (CFF), an element of the programme, is working in 15 cities including one in Peru. The CFF will be providing expert support to cities to develop bankable, low-carbon investment projects.

The industrial metaverse is a sector of the metaverse that mirrors and simulates real machines, factories, cities, transportation networks, and other highly complex systems. It will help develop sustainable products, as well as more efficient and sustainable factories, buildings, and cities. It will enable the democratization of engineering, allowing everyone to innovate without fearing risks or high additional costs.

The report, sponsored by Siemens, provides an in-depth exploration of the industrial metaverse, explaining how it will emerge as an evolution and convergence of today’s technologies, such as digital twins, artificial intelligence, and cloud and edge computing. It outlines the challenges and decisions societies and businesses face in making this vision a reality and creating a truly sustainable and open industrial metaverse.

The report offers valuable guidance on how companies and societies can start their journey into the future. It is an important starting point for further conversations on the matter because we are only at the beginning of a development that can completely transform our everyday. In this regard, this report is above all an invitation to discuss how we can shape this future together.