Our colleague Límberg Chero has played an important role in establishing the Basel Institute’s strong presence in Peru. From the early years – even before a formal office existed in Lima – to his current work with the Subnational Public Finance Management Programme (Programa GFP Subnacional), his journey reflects a great passion for fighting corruption. It began far from the capital, in an ancient town in northern Peru, and was strengthened through rigorous academic training and years of public service.

This article is part of a series on careers in fighting financial crime and opportunities to learn and study with the Basel Institute.

The take-off in Peru

My journey at the Basel Institute on Governance began even before the Lima office existed.

In 2014, together with colleagues from the Basel Institute – including our dearly missed Managing Director of two decades, Gretta Fenner, and my colleague Óscar Solórzano – we launched a public finance management project funded by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of Switzerland (SECO).

Although centred on macroeconomics and fiscal policy, its essential goal was to make the public budget tangible and meaningful for citizens.

To do this, we moved beyond traditional approaches and integrated innovative tools, like the use of behavioural science to prevent corruption and foster integrity in the management of public finances. This comprehensive perspective – a novelty in Peru at the time – was key to the project proposal’s success.

Since then, the Subnational Public Finance Management Programme for regional and municipal governments in Peru has retained SECO’s trust for more than 10 years.

The secret behind this success lies not only in improved processes and fiscal discipline, but in the continuous work with people committed to change. Internally, the Basel Institute’s team is multidisciplinary, open to change and committed to bridging practice and academic insight.

Bridging differences for sustainability

Working at the Basel Institute on Governance is truly a privilege. Our Lima office has gained remarkable regional recognition thanks to a distinctive approach: practical, rigorous and focused on building strong relationships with key actors in the fight against corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing.

I currently lead the Subnational PFM Programme’s Interinstitutional Coordination, ensuring the programme’s effectiveness and, above all, the sustainability of reforms at subnational levels, in alignment with national efforts.

This work requires the continuous reconciliation of the different “languages”, worldviews and objectives of people across Peru’s diverse regions.

Our aim is to craft strategies and messages that resonate equally to ministries, regional governments and municipalities – aligning technical agendas with political ones, and engaging civil society and academia along the way.

This challenge becomes more manageable because of my background: I come from an ancient town in northern Peru, Monsefú. Being perceived as someone close yet trained in competitive academic and professional environments fosters trust and legitimacy.

From economics to a global mission

As a child, leaving my town felt impossible. Universities were located in other regions and the educational options available largely led to local career paths tied to a modest economy with little real opportunities. At that time, the country had not yet experienced the trade openness or business development it has today.

Through hard work and the trust of people who believed in me, however, I earned scholarships that allowed me to study in highly competitive environments in Peru’s capital, Lima, more than 1,000 kilometres away from my hometown.

My foundations were solid: I completed my undergraduate studies in economics and later specialised through the Central Bank’s Economics Programme, which admits only 30 candidates out of thousands of applicants, as well as through an internship at the World Bank in Korea.

I worked as an economist at institutions such as the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Central Reserve Bank of Peru, the Andean Community (CAN) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

At that time, my professional life felt complete: it combined specialised technical work with teaching and active participation in international networks. These included the Andrés Bello Agreement Network, which brought together university researchers from multiple countries to reflect on and advance regional integration in Ibero-America, as well as the Puentes Network, which focused on promoting transparency in investment by Latin American companies.

But everything changed when I fully grasped the scope of the challenges posed by global corruption. I never imagined my economics degree would only be the starting point of a much bigger journey. From that moment on, my purpose became clear: to dedicate all my experience to strengthening this fight against forces that hinder global prosperity.

Innovating with little budget

In Latin America, the Basel Institute is known for results-oriented innovation. I have witnessed firsthand how every new skill quickly finds a practical application and how we can make significant contributions without the need for additional funding.

For example, I could draw on my Master’s degrees in Process Innovation and Government Control, and in Public Management and Education (Andragogy) to enrich various initiatives we pursued, such as:

• supporting regional governments in implementing structural reforms in significantly shorter timeframes;
• strengthening Peru’s Public Finance Management Experts Network, which was recognised during Peru’s National Innovation Week;
• and reducing dropout rates and increasing course completion in our Internal Control and Integrity courses through, among other things, the introduction of “virtual coffee breaks”.

During the pandemic, we leveraged my background in education to enhance our online learning and training approach and results. For example, we started to deliver courses and training across the country via Facebook, a platform that at the time did not charge for mobile data usage and allowed public officials to participate even using low-end mobile phones. These courses have since been integrated into Basel LEARN – the Basel Institute’s online training and learning hub.

Together, these efforts enabled us to develop courses that reached more than 6,000 participants in five years – all without additional funding.

It’s all about people

My work has focused on ensuring the sustainability of tangible improvements to public finance management that the PFM Programme’s experts helped implement in areas as varied as:

• distribution of vaccines and educational materials for children;
• property tax collection in major cities;
• restitution of confiscated funds;
• and the fight against “green corruption”.

In this context, the most valuable asset is our network. I have more than 20,000 contacts on my business phone – all professionals who directly or indirectly contribute to the Programme’s goals, and above all, friends committed to building a better Peru.

This network generates mutual benefits: it enables the rapid dissemination of good practices, drastically reduces event preparation costs (we secure many venues at zero cost) and ensures massive impact.

Colleagues across the Basel Institute are a vital part of this network. Our close collaboration has led me to take part in a wide range of diverse and fascinating projects – from serving as a director and writer for several programme-produced videos, to moderating international events on asset recovery, and exchanging methodologies used in public finance management that can be applied to asset recovery and repatriation.

The foundation that inspires and sustains hope

The Peruvian context presents unique challenges. There is high political volatility, evidenced by the fact that there have been eight presidents in the past 10 years despite only two presidential elections in that period. This means that “VUCA” (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) and the notion of “chaos” are part of daily life.

Yet, beneath this instability lies a “subsoil” of ethically committed public officials and technical professionals who allow progress to continue. They are my daily source of inspiration.

As I often say: There are more good people than bad – they just make less noise. This reflects a reality: the visible efforts of honest Peruvians provide a stronger foundation than the corruption cases that shake us, even if public perception sometimes suggests otherwise.

In sum, I am deeply grateful for the privilege of engaging with my country and its challenges through work that strengthens public integrity and the fight against corruption. Thank you, Basel Institute – and its magnificent team around the globe – for allowing me to continue serving the world, and especially my country.

Inspired?

Take a look at the learning opportunities we offer at the Basel Institute for individuals who are equally passionate about fighting corruption and financial crime:

• Basel LEARN – our online training and learning hub with free eLearning courses and lots more
• Basel STUDY – our postgraduate programmes on anti-corruption and asset recovery with the University of Basel