[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1186 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1186
Recognizing the indispensable role of the Indigenous people of
Guatemala in ensuring a democratic transition following the 2023
general election in the face of judicial corruption, political
exclusion, and historic marginalization, and urging the Government of
Guatemala to follow through on its commitments to represent and
equitably serve all Guatemalans.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 30, 2024
Mrs. Ramirez (for herself, Mr. Casar, Mr. Castro of Texas, Ms. Norton,
Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Mr. Garcia of
Illinois, Ms. Schakowsky, and Ms. Escobar) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the indispensable role of the Indigenous people of
Guatemala in ensuring a democratic transition following the 2023
general election in the face of judicial corruption, political
exclusion, and historic marginalization, and urging the Government of
Guatemala to follow through on its commitments to represent and
equitably serve all Guatemalans.
Whereas Indigenous people in Guatemala comprise nearly 44 percent of the
country's population, according to the United Nations Economic
Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, and encompass 24 ethnic
groups, including the Maya, Garifuna, and Xinka peoples;
Whereas, during Guatemala's brutal 36-year civil war, the military dictatorships
intentionally targeted the Indigenous population, with Mayans accounting
for 83 percent of the approximately 200,000 citizens killed during the
war, according to the Commission for Historical Clarification, and stole
Indigenous communities' land and resources;
Whereas the Political Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala recognizes the
rights of Indigenous peoples and defines Guatemala as a multicultural
society, and the Government has recognized Indigenous groups' rights in
the Peace Agreements that ended the civil war and ratified international
agreements on the rights of Indigenous peoples;
Whereas, despite these formal recognitions, a history of intentional
underinvestment, systemic discrimination, and exclusion has led to stark
social, health, educational, economic, and political disparities between
Indigenous and non-Indigenous Guatemalans, with inequities even worse
for Indigenous women;
Whereas large inequities continue to exist between Indigenous and non-Indigenous
Guatemalans, including the Guatemalan Government investing 0.4 USD per
day in each Indigenous person compared to 0.9 USD per day in each non-
Indigenous person, poverty affecting 75 percent of Indigenous people
compared to 36 percent of non-Indigenous people, chronic malnutrition
affecting 58 percent of Indigenous people compared to 38 percent of non-
Indigenous people, and Indigenous people comprising less than 15 percent
of high-ranking political office positions, according to the
International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs;
Whereas the Guatemalan state is not in compliance with its own international and
domestic obligations for receiving ``prior, informed consent'' of
affected populations on matters involving projects and investments in
Indigenous territories;
Whereas the ongoing struggle to survive has led many Indigenous people to
consider irregular migration as an alternative, resulting in the high
percentage of unaccompanied Guatemalan children and migrants in the
United States who identify as Indigenous;
Whereas in the face of persistent inequity and mistreatment, Guatemala's
Indigenous communities have shown remarkable resilience, strength, and
resolve to create better conditions and a more promising future;
Whereas, despite the Government and private sector's neglect, underinvestment,
and discrimination against Guatemala's Indigenous peoples and their
organizations, Indigenous communities have a long history of advocating
for their rights and justice by mobilizing against government corruption
and the rollback of human rights, fighting to defend Indigenous lands,
resources, and territories at the risk of being arrested for doing so,
and lodging complaints about the exclusion of Indigenous people from
COVID-19 treatment;
Whereas this powerful legacy of activism was pivotal in defending democracy in
Guatemala during the 2023 Presidential elections and transfer of power;
Whereas general elections were held in Guatemala on June 25, 2023, resulting in
a runoff election between the two Presidential candidates receiving the
most votes, then-Congressman Bernardo Arevalo of the Movimiento Semilla
party (Semilla) and Sandra Torres, a former First Lady representing the
Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza Party;
Whereas the runoff election, held on August 20, 2023, resulted in the people of
Guatemala electing Arevalo as President with more than 60 percent of the
popular vote;
Whereas the election observation teams from the European Union and the
Organization of American States, which were present at the invitation of
the Government of Guatemala, reported that both rounds of the election
were run professionally and efficiently and concluded that there was no
basis for claims of fraud;
Whereas Guatemala's Supreme Electoral Tribunal certified that the Presidential
elections upheld national, regional, and international standards for a
democratic election;
Whereas, immediately following the election of Arevalo on August 20, 2023,
Guatemala's Public Ministry, led by Attorney General Maria Consuelo
Porras Argueta, who is backed by the Constitutional Court and sanctioned
by the United States Government for significant corrupt and undemocratic
activities in abuse of her powers, initiated a series of efforts to
overturn the electoral results and undermine President-elect Arevalo's
inauguration;
Whereas the Guatemalan judicial system, particularly under Attorney General
Porras, has engaged in the spurious and widespread prosecution of
Indigenous advocates and authorities, such as those fighting against
illegal and destructive resource extraction projects on Indigenous
lands, amongst others fighting for reform and human rights;
Whereas Indigenous leaders bravely stood up for their country by issuing legal
challenges against the Public Ministry's actions and contributing to
marches despite increasingly arbitrary attacks by prosecutors seeking to
derail the transition of power;
Whereas these attacks motivated Mayan, Xinka, and Garifuna organizations to
spearhead massive nationwide protests beginning in October 2023 that
also mobilized Ladino organizations;
Whereas these widespread demonstrations garnered global attention and pressure
to adhere to the election results and intensified domestic calls for
government reforms;
Whereas Indigenous leaders were committed to sustaining nationwide protests
until arbitrary attempts to delegitimize the transition of power were
halted;
Whereas following 106 days of protests, President-elect Arevalo was inaugurated
as the next President of Guatemala just after midnight on January 15,
2024, after nearly 10 hours of delays by some Members of Guatemala's
Congress;
Whereas President Arevalo has committed to upholding Indigenous rights and
respecting Indigenous cultures and communities and became the first
Guatemalan President to participate in a public Mayan ceremony following
his inauguration, and has recognized their leadership in defense of
Guatemala's democracy;
Whereas the Arevalo administration has made progress in advancing dialogue with
Indigenous authorities, including Mayan Ixil and Achi leaders, to take
joint measures to overcome the legacy of discrimination,
marginalization, and violence directed against Indigenous communities;
and
Whereas President Arevalo's cabinet includes only one Mayan woman, Minister of
Labor and Social Welfare Miriam Roquel Chavez, and he has promised to
appoint more Indigenous leaders to vice ministries and other positions
of authority in his administration to better reflect the diversity of
the Guatemalan people: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) stands with the people of Guatemala in their fight
against corruption and for democratic governance, justice, and
a better future;
(2) commends the efforts of Guatemala's Indigenous people
to uphold democratic processes and attain equitable outcomes
for their communities;
(3) underscores the need for the Arevalo administration and
future governments, including the Constitutional Court and
Public Prosecutor's Office, to protect, represent the will of,
and serve the interests of all Guatemalans; and
(4) urges the President of the United States, the Secretary
of State, and the Administrator of the United States Agency for
International Development to--
(A) encourage the Guatemalan Government to meet its
commitments to be more transparent, accountable, and
responsive to the Guatemalan people, including to its
Indigenous communities;
(B) monitor the actions of private sector entities
in Guatemala that have had deep ties to corruption,
violence, and organized crime;
(C) support the Guatemalan Government's efforts to
build a more secure, democratic, and prosperous country
and to expand opportunities for all Guatemalans to live
safe, fulfilled lives;
(D) increase engagement with and support for
communities in Guatemala on the front lines of
defending human rights and democracy for all to ensure
their voices and recommendations steer and inform any
United States decision or action related to Guatemala;
and
(E) use the vote and voice of the United States
Government in multilateral institutions to which the
United States is a party and that operate in Guatemala
to comply with the rights of affected populations to
``prior, informed consent'' for all lending operations,
and all Guatemalan laws by ensuring within their
operations the protection of the rights of Indigenous
people, rights that are reflected in Guatemala's
Political Constitution and international human rights
treaties.
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