United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala

“ However, it is recognized that international cooperation can play a decisive role until the reforms needed to improve the way in which national resources are raised and allocated begin to bear fruit. On this understanding, the international community has responded very favourably to the challenges of peace-building. This is attributable, among other things, to the fact that the Agreements are more than just a military settlement between parties and cover an agenda that is backed by significant social sectors. ”

“ Since the signing of the Indigenous Agreement in 1995, the Coordinating Office of Organizations of the Maya People of Guatemala and other indigenous organizations have made considerable efforts to involve the largest possible number of organizations and individuals in implementing the Agreement and, in particular, in participating in the commissions. The collective participation of its beneficiaries is one of the best guarantees of compliance with the Agreement. ”

“ Pay particular attention to the impact of compliance in rural areas and among traditionally neglected rural communities, where the social debt is most pressing and where it is essential that the hopes raised by the signing of the Peace Agreements should not be disappointed; (c) Ensure that the implementation of the Agreements continues to create opportunities for broad sectors of the population to take on definite responsibilities for managing their affairs and for the peace process as a whole. ”

“ The report says that a change of this magnitude requires a package of measures that combine: (a) the strengthening of tax administration; (b) the expansion of the tax base and the revision of the principal taxes; and (c) the creation of a team that is committed to reform, supported at the highest political level and backed by a solid social consensus. The report underlines that the absence of any one of these prerequisites would make it very difficult successfully to carry out and maintain a reform of the tax system. ”

“ A number of donors are waiting to see what measures the Government takes to increase tax collection before they make their contributions. The next meeting of the Consultative Group, scheduled for early September in Guatemala, will afford an opportunity to jointly review the implementation process and to reaffirm the international community's support for the basic objectives of the Peace Agreements. ”

“ The first phase of the Timetable Agreement emphasized the definitive ceasefire process, including the demobilization of URNG members, and preparations for the substantive changes envisaged in the peace agenda. The Agreement on the Definitive Ceasefire was implemented and the deadlines and procedures established therein were strictly observed, confirming the willingness of the Government and URNG to put a definitive end to the armed conflict, as evidenced throughout 1996 in the peace negotiations and in the informal ceasefire which went into effect on 19 March 1996. ”

“ By Governmental Agreement 16-97, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal established the Electoral Reform Commission, composed of judges, former members of the Tribunal and one representative and one alternate for each of the seven political parties represented in Congress. The Commission adopted an open-ended agenda of 15 items related to matters dealt with in the Agreement, and invited interested organizations and individuals to submit proposals or request hearings by 15 May. ”

“ In its most recent pastoral letter, the Guatemalan Conference of Bishops urges all Guatemalans to strive to ensure that the Agreements reached become a reality for everyone and to avoid taking either a pessimistic or an unduly optimistic view, and appeals to them to face up to the challenges of peace-building with courage and determination. ”

“ As the report of the Follow-up Commission indicates, the process of implementing the Agreements is, in itself, a necessary process of civic education and participation. 73. Since the beginning of the peace process, Guatemala's political parties have contributed at various times to its strengthening and successful conclusion. Now they have a special responsibility to fulfil in the public discussion and adoption of the legislative agenda for peace, particularly the constitutional amendments. ”

“ In recent months, a number of legislative proposals that concern indigenous peoples have been submitted to the Congress of the Republic, including a bill on the treatment of ethnic discrimination as a crime, a definition of sexual harassment and amendments to the Code of Penal Procedure concerning certain aspects of customary law. ”

“ Its inclusion on the agenda of the "open forums" referred to in paragraph 38 below offers an opportunity for consensus-building on ways of implementing it.
30. As to the commitment to promote the convening of a women's forum, the Timetable Agreement's failure to stipulate convening procedures caused controversies that have delayed its implementation. The Mission noted that the "Expresiones de Mujeres" movement and the National Office of Women's Affairs have held preparatory meetings to make the forum as representative as possible. ”

“ It is hoped that other institutions, such as non-governmental organizations, universities and representatives of local authorities, will become involved in this programme.
26. On 10 April 1997, the Ministry of Finance submitted its report on the fiscal policy commitments contained in the Agreements. The report emphasizes that government fiscal policy is geared to meeting the target of increasing the tax burden by 50 per cent so that it reaches 12 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) by the year 2000, as stipulated in the Peace Agreements. ”

“ B. Agreement on Resettlement of the Population Groups Uprooted by the Armed Conflict 11. The Government made a commitment to sponsor, in the Congress, the necessary amendments to the Act on the Personal Documentation of the Population Uprooted by the Internal Armed Conflict, to solve the documentation problems of uprooted population groups and demobilized URNG members. ”

“ F. Agreement on the Strengthening of Civilian Power and on the Role of the Armed Forces in a Democratic Society 40. With regard to the commitment to request the President of the Congress to set up a multi-party agency to enhance, modernize and reinforce the legislative branch, the Congress decided that the existing Technical Support Committee should take up the agenda provided for in the Agreement. ”