[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 137 (Wednesday, November 12, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5947-S5948]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    CHIXOY DAM REPARATIONS AGREEMENT

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, more than 30 years ago, in the midst of 
Guatemala's civil war, the construction of a large hydroelectric dam on 
the Chixoy River resulted in destruction of 33 indigenous Mayan 
communities and the massacres of more than 400 villagers and other 
abuses by the Guatemalan army.
  The history of that tragedy is well known so I will not recount it 
here. Suffice it to say that a great injustice was committed. There was 
ample blame to go around between the Army, the World Bank, and Inter-
American Development Bank that financed the dam, governments, including 
the United States, whose representatives on the banks' boards of 
directors voted for the construction, and subsequent Guatemalan 
Governments that failed to compensate the victims or punish those 
responsible.
  Last month, the Guatemalan Government and representatives of the 
communities culminated many months of negotiations with an agreement to 
implement the contents of the 2010 reparations plan, including 
individual payments and community development investments that will be 
financed over a period of years. The agreement was formalized at a 
public ceremony on Saturday, November 1, attended by Guatemala's 
President Otto Perez Molina, members of the communities, other 
government officials, and representatives of the multilateral banks and 
the United Nations.
  There are many who thought this day would never come, and I commend 
the commitment and patience of the members of the communities, 
particularly those who lost loved ones so many years ago, the 
Guatemalan officials who negotiated the agreement, President Perez 
Molina for his personal support, as well as key officials from the 
multilateral banks who played an indispensable role, and Inter-American 
Development Bank President Luis Moreno, who also took a personal 
interest. I also commend the U.S. Embassy officials and representatives 
of the Catholic Church who provided encouragement and support during 
this process. Finally, I want to acknowledge Guatemala's Ambassador to 
the United States and the U.S. Treasury Department officials who 
recognized the need to resolve this issue.
  This is a historic milestone that finally begins to right a grievous 
wrong, a wrong that was emblematic of the horrors of the armed conflict 
that engulfed Guatemala a generation ago. A great many innocent people 
lost their lives or their livelihoods in that war, and many of the key 
provisions of the 1992 Peace Accords remain unfulfilled.
  Until now, Chixoy was among the unfinished business, so this is a 
welcome and important step toward addressing the damages suffered by 
these communities. Yet I am as mindful as others that in many respects 
this agreement is only the beginning. The task ahead is to ensure its 
implementation, which will be the responsibility of the current and 
future Guatemalan Governments, the multilateral banks that have pledged 
to redirect some of their own resources to this effort, and all those 
who care about Guatemala's past, present, and future.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a description of 
Saturday's ceremony formalizing the agreement, provided by the 
Guatemalan Embassy in Washington, be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

          President Perez Molina Formalizes Historic Agreement

       The President of Guatemala, Otto Perez Molina, formalized 
     an historic agreement for economical reparations for 33 
     communities of Baja Verapaz affected by the construction of 
     the Chixoy Hydroelectric in 1978.
       A public event was held in the Municipal Stadium in 
     Rabinal, Baja Verapaz on Saturday, where representatives of 
     the Executive, the affected communities, the Human Rights 
     Ombudsman's Office, the Organization of American States and 
     the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human 
     Rights handed the Government Decree number 378-2014 to the 
     Communities.
       ``Today is an historic day'' expressed President Perez 
     Molina, ``one that closes a shameful chapter of abuses, human 
     rights violations and injustices suffered by thousands of 
     families that lived in the area where Chixoy was built''. 
     Also, in front of thousands of people from the affected 
     communities that attended the formalization of the Government 
     Decree at the Rabinal Municipal Stadium, he ratified his 
     administration's commitment to comply with the terms of the 
     Public Policy.
       He continued to express, on behalf of the State of 
     Guatemala, a public apology to the families of the 33 
     communities that were wronged by the construction in 1978 of 
     the Chixoy Hydroelectric Dam. With this public apology, he 
     began implementing the Government Decree for moral and 
     material reparations. ``I want to be the first to follow 
     through with the public policy of reparations and comply with 
     one of the main points of the agreement which is 
     responsibility of the Presidency of Guatemala. So today, in 
     this historic day of happiness and celebration of

[[Page S5948]]

     the Agreement reached by the Government and the Communities, 
     I want to take the first step and publicly apologize as 
     President of the Republic, as representative of the unity of 
     our citizens, for the abuse and human rights violations that 
     each one of the communities suffered''.
       He continued to say: ``On behalf of the State of Guatemala 
     I ask you to accept these apologies so that we can heal the 
     wounds in our hearts without forgetting the injustices and 
     human rights violations that occurred''.
       President Perez Molina also said that he felt honored that 
     his administration managed to reach an historic agreement 
     that will contribute to overcome the drama that the 
     Communities suffered for more than three decades. He 
     continued to say that with the public event to recognize and 
     repair the affected populations, one of his main objectives 
     when taking office in January of 2012 was fulfilled. He went 
     back and quoted his inauguration speech: ``I ask God to grant 
     us the wisdom to actively promote true reconciliation. A 
     reconciliation that gives us the strength to work on our 
     pending issues, on unattended injustices, on reconstructing 
     our social fabric and to keep investing on the most valuable 
     thing our Guatemala has, its citizens.''


                Public Policy for Reparation of Damages

       Several Government officials attended the public event, 
     which had Vice President Roxana Baldetti as honor witness. 
     Present also were representatives of the communities, local 
     authorities and representatives of international 
     organizations.
       President Perez Molina highlighted that the agreement 
     required a public policy for reparations and a structured 
     plan to combat poverty, social injustice, inequality and the 
     abandonment that these communities have suffered.
       The Government Decree that gives life to this agreement was 
     published on Friday in the Official Gazette and establishes 
     the Public Policy for the Reparation of the Communities 
     Affected by the Construction of the Chixoy Hydroelectric Dam.
       The Policy will be applied to benefit 11,383 families and 
     will offer basic infrastructure for 33 communities in Baja 
     Verapaz, Alta Verapaz and Quiche, where the affected 
     populations lived when the violations occurred.
       President Perez Molina highlighted that the implementation 
     during 2015 and 2016 has a budget of 200 million dollars for 
     individual reparations. Besides individual pay, the 
     Government will direct 1 billion quetzals in the next 15 
     years to build basic infrastructure in the 33 affected 
     communities.

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