Delegation: Guatemala

Nobel Laureate, Rigoberta Menchú Tum during the 2017 NWI delegation to Guatemala and Honduras.

In June 2024 Nobel Women’s Initiative in collaboration with Just Associates (JASS) and the Rigoberta Menchú Tum Foundation hosted a delegation to Guatemala led by Nobel Peace Prize laureates Rigoberta Menchú Tum and Jody Williams.

Why now? 

Across the Mesoamerica region extractive industries have a history of abusing power, violating human rights, and decimating natural habitats and indigenous land. For too long a culture of violence, corruption, and repression largely directed at women, indigenous people and marginalized groups has been allowed to prosper by corrupt governments. While some progress has been achieved in curbing the power of industries and enacting legislation designed to protect marginalized communities in the region, issues persist. 

In Guatemala corruption, gang-related violence, silencing of independent press and civil society, as well as high rates of gender-based violence have continued.  

In January 2024 a window of opportunity and hope for significant change opened in Guatemala. In August 2023 Guatemalans elected anti-corruption candidate Bernardo Arévalo as their president. Despite months of attempts by the incumbents to invalidate the election and prevent the president-elect from taking office, and thanks to continued resistance by people’s movements led in particular by indigenous and women’s groups including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum, he was sworn in on 15 January 2024. His coming to power is a triumph and marks an opening for democracy, anti-corruption, and citizen-responsive government in Guatemala.  

NWI Context  

In 2013 and 2017, Nobel Peace Prize laureates Tawakkol Karman, Shirin Ebadi, Jody Williams and Rigoberta Menchú Tum led NWI delegations to Honduras and Guatemala in collaboration with JASS. The delegations aimed to draw attention to human rights violations in areas affected by mining and other extractive industries. Femicide and gender-based violence were of particular concern.  

Nobel Peace Prize laureates returned to Guatemala in June 2024, only a few months after the new government has taken office. Through the delegation they engaged with the new leadership of the country, brought voices of local women’s organizations to the table of the new political leaders, address key priorities of historically marginalized people, and offer support and advice for achieving sustainable change. 

Aims 

Participants of the delegation met with local women’s and indigenous organizations to: 

• Learn about the continuing erosion of women’s, indigenous people’s and human rights in areas affected by mining and other extractive industries;  
• Advocate for change together and in line with solutions proposed by local women’s and indigenous groups; 
• Draw much needed international attention to human rights issues caused by extractive industries in collaboration with former governments;  
• Remind state and non-state actors’ obligations under international law.

Reflections

• Women for Peace and Democracy in Guatemala.
• Living in Fullness.
• People's Resistance Movement in Guatemala.

See photos of our delegation here.