UNESCO and Peru's culture ministry prepare heritage sites for the coming El Nino

29 October 2026

UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture of Peru are working together to prepare cultural heritage for emergencies that the El Nino phenomenon of 2026 and 2027 could cause.
The work is part of the agency's global Culture and El Nino campaign and is built around anticipatory action, which means identifying risks and arranging responses before damage occurs.
Training sessions were held for officials of the ministry, its decentralised culture directorates, municipalities and other public bodies, covering the national disaster risk management framework and case studies on El Nino risks.
A tool for collecting data after a disaster has been adapted for the culture sector and validated in the field in the regions of Piura, Lambayeque and La Libertad.
Specialised training on the adapted tool is planned, followed by an introduction to the post disaster needs assessment method for culture.
The national civil defence institute and the national centre for disaster risk estimation, prevention and reduction are partners in the effort.
Support comes from the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund, which draws contributions from a group of donor countries.