United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala

“ As the gravest human rights violations diminished with the end of the conflict, the MINUGUA caseload focused more heavily on the due process violations at the heart of Guatemala’s entrenched problem of judicial impunity. Verification in this area permitted MINUGUA to follow the course of major human rights cases in the courts and to offer well-informed analyses of the deficiencies within the different institutions composing the justice system. ”

“ The departure of MINUGUA closes an important chapter in the United Nations long and fruitful involvement in the pursuit of peace in Central America. With the end of international verification, the Guatemalan peace process has matured into a new and important phase in which national actors are assuming fuller responsibility for monitoring and promoting the goals of the peace accords. Current and future United Nations operations can take away valuable lessons from the MINUGUA experience, which stands as a successful example of multidimensional peacebuilding. ”

“ Civil society organizations, in particular those dedicated to human rights and the defence of victims of the armed conflict, were crucial sources of information and pillars of support and trust at the same time. The positive changes that peace is bringing to Guatemala are the achievements of the Guatemalans. The role of MINUGUA was to accompany them in their efforts to build a better society. ”

“ MINUGUA also provided training and in-depth information to a variety of civil society organizations focusing on issues related to the peace accords, assisting and advising them on matters ranging from indigenous peoples’ rights to the formulation of local development agendas, to citizen oversight techniques and to improving advocacy strategies. Using the materials developed for the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman, MINUGUA provided human rights verification training for dozens of local organizations. ”

“ Some indigenous organizations argued that the peace accords had been violated in spirit, because the new law grouped the problem of indigenous people with that of other groups in society — women, for example — who are also victims of discrimination. MINUGUA verified gradual expansion in bilingual education and in the accessibility of the justice sector to those speaking indigenous languages. But despite those and other advances, MINUGUA reports frequently referred to the Agreement on indigenous peoples as the area of least progress within the peace accords. ”

“ Field offices carried out large numbers of training seminars for military, police and justice officials, as well as mayors and other local authorities. The field offices also helped local civil society organizations to participate in development policy debates occurring within a system of local development councils strengthened under the peace agreements.
34. In providing technical assistance, MINUGUA coordinated its activities with the United Nations system, whose agencies, funds and programmes were simultaneously providing cooperation in many of the key areas of the peace accords. ”

“ The Mission dedicated its final year to ensuring that peace priorities were reflected in the policies of the new Administration, while continuing, through its transition strategy, to build national capacities to promote and monitor peace accords implementation after its departure. The centrepiece of the transition effort during the final year was the National Transition Volunteers Programme, described more fully below, through which 60 young Guatemalan professionals received onthe- job training within MINUGUA as verifiers and promoters of the peace accords. ”

“ In communicating its message, MINUGUA worked extensively with radio and television, the principal means by which the vast majority of Guatemalans receive their information. Community-level radio stations were targeted in particular, with informative spots produced in indigenous languages. A series of short television programmes, which aired widely during 2003 and 2004 under the title “Faces of Peace”, dealt with difficult topics such as racism and discrimination, and was well received in the country. ”

“ These reports fostered a public debate on human rights, demonstrating that the peace process was opening political space in the country. The Mission also set up a trust fund to support technical assistance programmes with national justice and human rights institutions, in keeping with its mandate to cooperate with national entities for the effective protection and promotion of human rights. ”

“ During 2003 the Mission carried out an intensive capacity-building programme for that institution, which has a constitutional mandate to monitor human rights. Mission staff conducted dozens of decentralized training workshops, using the materials developed on human rights monitoring, conflict analysis and the content and status of the peace accords. ”