UK Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs visits Lima 2019 Pan American Village

Lima, Peru - The UK Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Boris Johnson visited the Pan American Village for the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games, as part of his official visit to Peru.

Mr Johnson, who was Mayor of London during the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, was joined at the Village by Peru’s Minster of Foreign Affairs Néstor Popolizio, UK Ambassador to Peru Kate Harrisson and Lima 2019 Organising Committee President Carlos Neuhaus.

The Village, located in the heart of the Villa El Salvador district in the southeast of Lima, will be home to approximately 10,000 athletes and coaches during the Games. The Village will comprise of 1,096 apartments spread across seven towers of between 19 to 20 floors, all of which will be converted into affordable housing after the Games.

The procurement process for the Village, as well as other key Lima 2019 infrastructure projects, was handled under the Government-to-Government (G2G) Agreement signed between the UK and Peru in April 2017. The procurement process follows the UK’s New Engineering Contract (NEC) model and has allowed Lima 2019 to significantly speed up its infrastructure projects. The NEC model’s transparent, efficient approach has generated great interest from potential contractors.

Speaking on his visit to the Village, Mr Johnson said:

"I am very grateful to Peru for the warm welcome. We are happy with the progress being made on the Lima 2019 works and have seen that the apartments are almost complete. We’re particularly delighted as the UK has been able to contribute to this progress under the Government-to-Government Agreement."

During the visit, Mr Johnson announced the creation of a public-private infrastructure working group to help Peru address its US$ 160 billion infrastructure gap by working together with the UK to improve its main project delivery mechanisms and introduce greater transparency. The working group will look to introduce the best practice from some of the initiatives adopted by Lima 2019, such as the Project Management Office (PMO) and NEC.

The UK will also allocate £177 million towards sustainable infrastructure projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions in three Latin American countries, including Peru. The funds will be distributed by the Inter-American Development Bank.

Peru’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Néstor Popolizio, expressed his satisfaction with the progress at the Village:

"We are certain that we will complete our infrastructure projects on time, which we were able to confirm for the Village during this visit. We have the support of UK and thanks to them we are making good progress. We would like to thank the UK for its support."

Commenting on Mr Johnson’s visit, Lima 2019 President Carlos Neuhaus said:

"This visit reinforces the international cooperation we have established with the UK under the G2G. The UK is helping Peru stage a world class Games and together we will deliver the works ahead of time. The five most important Lima 2019 infrastructure projects have been progressing without any issues and we are certain that Lima 2019 will serve as the blueprint for future major infrastructure projects in Peru."

About the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games

The Lima 2019 Pan American Games will see approximately 6,700 athletes from 41 countries compete in 39 sports and 62 disciplines. The Games will take place between 26 July and 11 August 2019.

The Lima 2019 Parapan American Games will see 1,890 athletes compete in 17 sports and 18 disciplines between 23 August and 01 September 2019.

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