Congresswoman Yenifer Paredes will serve as the president of the Energy and Mines Commission of the Chamber of Deputies in Peru for the 2026 to 2027 legislative term.
Paredes, a member of the left-wing Juntos por el Perú party and the adoptive daughter of former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo, will lead the parliamentary body alongside Congressman Raúl Camargo of the Obras party as vice president and Congresswoman Milagros Santana of the Partido del Buen Gobierno as secretary.
In her first public statements in the role, Paredes declared that her primary objective will be to reconcile the differing perspectives of mining corporations, local populations, and environmental advocates. She stated that she represents the voice of regional communities that have long been excluded from national decision-making.
Paredes added that the commission intends to seek a broad consensus across all levels of the industry, including large-scale, medium-scale, and small-scale mining operations operating throughout the country.
Legislative priorities and mining formalisation
The Energy and Mines Commission is scheduled to tackle several major legislative proposals during the 2026 to 2027 session. Among the most prominent issues facing the working group is the review and approval of the Small-Scale Mining and Artisanal Mining Law, known as the MAPE Law, which is currently being drafted by the executive branch.
In addition to the MAPE Law, lawmakers on the panel will debate the future of the Comprehensive Mining Formalisation Registry, widely known as REINFO. The administrative catalog is used by the government to register small-scale and artisanal miners undergoing formalisation, making it a central point of debate regarding environmental regulation and labor standards in the extraction sector.
Field visits to mining regions
Regarding the operational plans for the committee, Paredes affirmed that lawmakers will carry out official visits to provinces that serve as central locations for mining activity. The field trips are intended to provide committee members with direct oversight of local conditions and community concerns.
She specifically identified the province of Pataz, situated in the northern department of La Libertad, as one of the primary destinations the commission will visit. Pataz has been highlighted by authorities and industry observers as one of the areas in Peru most severely impacted by illegal mining operations.
