YouSaid · the spoken record

Jimmy Morales

lines on the record: 82
first: 2016-09-24
most recent: 2019-09-24
sittings or episodes: 4
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“It has been a great honour for me to have spoken to the Assembly, and I thank God for giving me the opportunity to strengthen Guatemala’s multilateral relations with the rest of the world. I wish all members the best, and our country will continue to play its historic role by faithfully complying with the Charter of the United Nations. I conclude, as I began, with Seneca, who said that none of us love our homeland because it is great; we love it because it is ours.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“I now turn to an extremely important issue — that of coffee, which is of paramount importance to Guatemala, as a producer. I take this opportunity to propose the creation of more favourable mechanisms for this commercial activity. We also advocate for better conditions, prices and access to more fair markets for the well-being of our economies. We urge the International Coffee Organization to comprehensively, transparently, respectfully and fairly address that issue. At the regional level, the worrisome crisis that persists in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela compels us to consider and support the various efforts to restore democracy in that South American country. As a member of the Lima Support Group, we have strongly supported efforts to search for dialogue among all parties, in order to guarantee the rule of law in Venezuela.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“In that regard, I wish to express the rejection by the Republic of Guatemala’s Government of an attempt to promote an independent investigation by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). We believe that such action is another example of the abuses that United Nations agencies have committed in my country. In that context, the Guatemalan Government wishes to express to OHCHR that it will not allow it or any other United Nations agency to carry out activities outside of their mandate. I would ask the Assembly to take note of those abuses committed in Guatemala. The investigation and clarification of that terrorist act is the strict responsibility of the Office of Guatemala’s Public Prosecutor through the corresponding prosecutor’s office, with the help of Guatemala’s security forces and legal system.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Given that the country’s national and international laws were violated, as well as the human rights of its citizens, I therefore urge the Assembly to produce an objective and exhaustive report of the actions of CICIG in Guatemala, with the participation of countries that can guarantee its accuracy. As Jesus of Nazareth said, the truth will set you free. Against the backdrop of fighting organized crime and drug trafficking in Guatemala, a terrorist act was perpetrated in my country on 3 September. Three members of the Guatemalan armed forces were massacred in a northern community of the country. Following that incident, we made the decision to decree a state of siege in 22 of the country’s municipalities.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Those are all serious violations of the human rights of Guatemalans, which should not remain unpunished, much less so because they were committed by a Commission that fought against impunity. Nor can those facts weigh heavily on donor countries, whose good faith was betrayed. Accountability should not only apply to Member States, but also to CICIG and any agency, commission or authority operating under the auspices of the members of the Assembly. Last August, Ivan Velasquez Gomez submitted a report that was completely devoid of truth from the start.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“I am sure that such accountability before Member States would be very positive and highly valued by the friendly donors who relied on an unprecedented United Nations effort that failed in Guatemala. Who will provide explanations to the relatives of the CICIG victims? Some individuals died in jail as a result of abusive pre-trial detention; others were deprived of their freedom for years and then acquitted for lack of evidence. That is a serious matter. However, there is something even more serious and extremely critical that we must not forget: the use of false witnesses and media slander, which are despicable and condemnable acts — even more so when they came from this Organization, which promotes respect for human rights.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“With regard to the role of the press in my country, I will limit myself to respectfully citing His Holiness Pope Francis, who recently said: “We need a journalism that is free, at the service of truth, goodness and justice; a journalism that helps build a culture of encounter.” Guatemala appreciates the valuable support of the international community, but wishes to make it known that not a single penny donated to CICIG was administered by the Guatemalan Government. For the sake of transparency, we believe that it would be appropriate for the Secretariat to provide the Assembly with detailed information about every single penny of its resources that was spent, from CICIG’s establishment in Guatemala until its closure. To guarantee transparency, it would be worth hiring one of the world’s most prestigious auditing firms.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“His thirst for power compelled him to move from the judicial field to the political sphere, to which I can attest, while publicly supporting former prosecutor Thelma Aldana, a presidential candidate in our most recent elections. Incidentally, former prosecutor Aldana is currently a fugitive from justice for several reasons. It was she who said that no one is above the law, and so we hope that she soon returns to Guatemala. No one should ever be able to take advantage of the position they hold to promote personal interests, even more so when they represent the United Nations or its actors, which must ensure the independence, impartiality and objectivity of justice.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“His actions divided the Guatemalan population, however, above all, he betrayed the confidence that our country placed in him to fight criminal structures, supposedly his main task. Instead, he turned CICIG into a criminal structure that co-opted Guatemalan justice. It is most unfortunate and very worrying that international officials who serve States, are devoting themselves to discrediting our country before the international community. That is disloyalty. Guatemala opened its doors to the United Nations in order for it to support us to better fight corruption and impunity. However, the low morale and unprofessionalism of the former CICIG Commissioner led him to commit a series of actions that upstanding Guatemalans are not willing to tolerate or forget.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Who is to blame for those human rights violations in Guatemala, seeing that several people died as a result of CICIG, many others were unjustly imprisoned and others remain in custody without having given their provisional statement? It is worth clarifying that the closure of CICIG will have no repercussions on the judicial processes in which it participated, since all proceedings that were initiated will continue at the request of the legally competent authorities in Guatemala. I am clarifying these facts because the former head of CICIG has unfortunately dedicated himself to discrediting my country, with success, taking advantage of the international position he held to promote an agenda full of political and ideological interests that are alien to the principles of the United Nations.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“I quote the agreement that gave rise to the CICIG, “as a non-United Nations organ, functioning solely in accordance with the provisions of this agreement.” I must therefore ask once again: to whom was CICIG accountable? To the Secretariat, donor countries or the Guatemalan Government? Interestingly, the agreement does not state to whom it was accountable. To answer that question, we must therefore reflect on the following. When the country where CICIG operated submitted its concerns about the abuses committed by CICIG to the Secretary-General, why were those concerns ignored, given that Guatemala is a founding State and Member of this Organization?”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Ivan Velasquez Gomez turned criminal prosecution into a tool of selective persecution and political harassment, violating universal rights, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the American Convention on Human Rights, as well as violating the political Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala. Moreover, he disregarded the principle of presumption of innocence, the right to self-defence and the judicial guarantee of due process, abusing the honourable position entrusted to him. My first question to the Assembly is: was CICIG a United Nations body? The answer is no.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“That gave it the perfect discourse to politicize justice and judicialize politics, which we Guatemalans do not allow; we have been a free, sovereign and independent country since 1821. Moreover, when speaking of independence and national sovereignty, I wish to inform the Assembly that although the mandate of CICIG has ended, the consequences of its actions in Guatemala must be thoroughly investigated. Under the leadership of Ivan Velasquez Gomez, the Commission used the image of the United Nations for political purposes in Guatemala.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“That applies to the same Secretariat that violated our democratic principles of self-determination. The reason for the existence of the Organization is to maintain world peace and global harmony and to strengthen modern States. However, the Secretariat of this great multilateral Organization polarized Guatemalan society through the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). The Commission violated the principles of national sovereignty, disrespected the laws of our country, undermined institutional autonomy, put social peace at risk and challenged the governance of the nation. However, the saddest and most worrisome fact is that it did it with the consent of the United Nations, under the guise of fighting corruption and impunity.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“However, in order to mitigate irregular migration, we must assume that shared responsibility in a responsible manner, because all countries have a role to play in today’s reality, and only by working together can we take firm steps to safeguard our nations. Our presidential Administration has been based on a strategic plan, which is scheduled until 2032. That trajectory for the country aligns our general Government policy for the period 2016 to 2020 with the 2030 Agenda, and every one of our public policies involves fulfilling the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. In the view of the State of Guatemala it is essential to maintain peace, the nation’s security, sovereignty and respect for the rule of law. A culture of respect for States’ sovereign decisions must prevail.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We believe that the experience and capabilities of the Republic of China on Taiwan can contribute to strengthening multilateralism from this Organization and its specialized agencies. The Guatemalan Government reaffirms its commitment to migration policies that place human beings at the centre of development and prosperity. We are eager to collaborate with comprehensive immigration governance that respects the human rights of migrants at all times. We firmly share the ideals of safe, orderly and regular migration. For that reason, we are coordinating efforts with different countries to mitigate the actual causes of such migration.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“I extend my deep and sincere thanks to the group of friendly countries that supported Guatemala and Belize in the process, where dialogue — the basis of true democracy — prevailed. I am also pleased to share with members that, in November last year, Guatemala successfully held the twenty-sixth Iberoamerican Summit of Heads of State and Government in Antigua. It was one of the best attended in history and enabled us to develop cooperation policies under the slogan “A Prosperous, Inclusive and Sustainable Iberoamerica.” At the international level, Guatemala believes that all countries, in particular those that embrace democracy and the principles that gave life to the United Nations, have the right to belong to this great Organization.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“In matters of foreign policy, Guatemala and Belize concluded the peaceful process of submitting Guatemala’s territorial, insular and maritime claim to the International Court of Justice. That is a historic milestone for Guatemala, Central America and the world, which has resulted in a peaceful and definitive solution to the years of dispute between Guatemala and Belize. The peoples of Guatemala and Belize conducted popular and peaceful consultations with positive results and a desire to finally resolve the dispute before the International Court of Justice. Relations between Guatemala and Belize have never been better, and we are determined to continue strengthening them.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“The Assembly can rest assured that we will not hesitate to support other members, because we are committed to preserving natural resources. That tool is one of Guatemala’s legacies to humankind. Speaking of legacies, I wish to share with the Assembly that we recently released the results of the twelfth national population census and seventh housing census to the people of Guatemala. After 17 years of waiting, we settled a historic debt with Guatemala that translates into real statistics for engineering our development model. The twelfth population census is one of the first in the region to be conducted and framed within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It was carried out using the United Nations Population Fund’s international standards.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“I want to take this opportunity to express our dismay at the recent fires in the Amazon rainforest. As the Assembly is aware, Guatemala has vast water wealth and we have therefore formulated a process to protect and decontaminate our rivers, lakes and seas. We now represent a benchmark for the world in this area, thanks to the creation and implementation of biofences — handcrafted tools that stop large amounts of floating debris. There are currently 196 biofences installed throughout the country. If anyone is wondering what a biofence is, they are simply handmade pieces of mesh made from plastic waste that serve as a barrier to waste floating in water currents. We have found the invention to be effective, and countries on ours and other continents are now extremely interested in cooperating with Guatemala in that area.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“However, after solving budgetary, administrative and judicial problems, which plagued a large number of contracts, today we can say that 72 per cent of road surfacing has a rating of good to optimal, according to the assessment carried out by the national competitiveness programme. We hope to end this year with more than 85 per cent of roads in optimal condition, which would allow the next Government to not only reach 100 per cent but also to build the many more roads that the country still needs. In terms of the environment, we have increased the protection of our forests, which are part of the world’s lungs. We are planning to reforest 1.2 million hectares of trees by 2032, in which my Government has invested $50 million per year, the equivalent of $200 million in forest incentive programmes.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“In terms of security, we have taken firm steps that have led to highly positive indicators. We have reduced the homicide rate for every 100,000 inhabitants, which has maintained the most favourable downward trend of the past 20 years. That was possible thanks to a cleanup of our security forces and ensuring their greater professionalism and efficiency. The national civil police managed to dismantle dangerous criminal gangs that were engaged in extortion, kidnapping, vehicle theft and property crime. This year the number of police officers increased from 31,000, in 2015, to 42,000 national civil police, who are now better equipped and have higher wages. In the area of infrastructure, we inherited a collapsed road network, with 60 per cent of roads in poor or terrible condition.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Moreover, for those who have been unable to study in the regular education system, a certification-of-skills system was initiated that recognizes and certifies the knowledge and skills of people who work in a trade learned throughout their lives, both for Guatemalans in Guatemala and those living in the United States of America. On another area of development, we prioritized the Open Government Partnership for the period 2016 to 2018, which resulted in a national policy on transparency and combating corruption. My Government Administration has focused on fostering a culture of transparency and good governance. We launched the Presidential Commission for Open Public Administration and Transparency, which goes hand in hand with the Government’s fourth national open action plan for the period 2018 to 2020.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“For the first time ever, the State provided over 1,000 schools with technological equipment in a single year and fully complied with the delivery of educational materials and school texts in Mayan and Spanish, something we have never done before. Over time, financial resources have also been transferred to all educational programmes and we have guaranteed access to free Guatemalan education. In addition, we implemented the Acompañame a Crecer programme, which seeks to aid development in early childhood for children from zero to age 4 who have not previously been in public education.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Guatemala now has stronger institutions with technical capabilities to be able to fulfil its role in society. In the area of education, the average number of full school days was increased from 163 days, in 2015, to 198 full school days, this year, which is also unprecedented in Guatemala’s recent history. Educational coverage was also increased to include 3,122,000 students, and I can proudly say that we quadrupled our investment per day in school meals. For that, we rely on the parents of each school, who guarantee the transparency of the programme, focusing on the education and health of our children.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Seneca said that none of us love our homeland because it is great. We love it because it is ours. I thank Ms. Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces for having successfully presided over the General Assembly at its seventy-third session. I also congratulate the President of the Assembly, Mr. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, who is already promoting a highly proactive global debate. Guatemala is a strong advocate of the rule of law and democratic ideals. In that spirit, this year we are holding free elections that are based on international standards of electoral democracy. It is important to also highlight that for the first time in Guatemala’s political history we implemented voting from abroad, which sets a precedent for guaranteeing the right to vote outside our borders.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“My Government is clearly focused on improving security and development conditions in order to reducing migration and the risks that migrants run when embarking on dangerous journeys in their quest to improve their quality of life. In the meantime, we will continue working to strengthen our entire consular network. In conclusion, I would like to send a message of unity and peace to my people and to the entire international community. I will return to my country with the vision and hope of a better tomorrow for all. I would like to end by quoting the great Ruben Darío when he said about his country: “If your homeland is small, dream it big”.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“We have focused our public investment budget on our national development priorities and have also been able to contribute to global environmental efforts by designing a technology called bio-fences for decontaminating rivers, beaches, seas and oceans that has been recognized by the World Economic Forum. We continue to work to combat chronic malnutrition through our 2016-2020 national strategy and policy for the prevention of chronic malnutrition, which is directly related to the Sustainable Development Goals aimed at ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and ensuring quality education. I am very pleased to know that the Assembly has made progress with the negotiations for a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Guatemala has acted in good faith at all times and we continue to believe firmly that disputes can be resolved amicably through dialogue. Turning to other subjects, we should point out Guatemala is a country located in a vulnerable tropical zone that is suffering increasingly seriously from the effects of climate change. We are once again dealing with a prolonged drought affecting the most vulnerable sectors of our population. That is why we have invested in rehabilitating all of our irrigation and mini-irrigation systems, which can help to ensure low-income farmers’ production.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“What is certain is that today Guatemala is more polarized than it has been for decades. Some say that we did not have this kind of polarization even during the armed conflict in Guatemala in the 1980s. Groups of people with extremist views have sought to take advantage of the fight against corruption, applauding selective persecutions that have been turned into overt demonstrations by an ideologically biased CICIG. We in Guatemala do not want more confrontation, we want peace and justice. With the same respect that we have always shown, I am publicly asking the Secretary-General, before the Assembly, if we can agree on appointing a new CICIG Commissioner to carry out the transfer of technical capabilities to the appropriate bodies.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Velásquez exceeded the authority of his mandate, in addition to finding himself in a conflict of interest, when he requested recorded footage from the surveillance cameras, which is evidence that only the public prosecutor is authorized to handle. Should this be described as justice or as impunity? Essentially, CICIG has become a threat to peace in Guatemala. It has set up a system of terror whereby anyone who thinks differently is tracked down, investigated and accused by or referred to the Commission so as to coerce witnesses, whom it later turns into effective collaborators by offering them summary trials and reduced sentences. Unfortunately, the CICIG ideal has been lost in the bureaucracy of the United Nations and in the cult of the individual, which as a matter of principle should never be greater than the institution it represents.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“In all three countries, the evidence presented by CICIG was judged insufficient, and they were found not guilty. Today we mourn five deaths caused by the abuse of pretrial detention, in which pressure from CICIG on judges led them to fail to provide alternative forms of incarceration that would have ensured the delivery of adequate medical treatment. I call attention to the fact that such inhumane treatment has not been meted out to even the most dangerous criminals or drug traffickers. Another case that I would like to bring up is that of Alfredo Zimeri, a young man of 19 years of age, who was brutally beaten by members of the CICIG staff, causing multiple and serious fractures to his face and skull. Mr.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Those facts were included in a document addressing the concerns of the State of Guatemala delivered personally to the Secretary-General more than a year ago. The fact that CICIG has made the excessive use of pretrial detention the rule in Guatemala, when it should be used only in exceptional circumstances, must also be addressed. Under the laws of Guatemala, no one must remain in pretrial custody for more than three months, but in cases involving CICIG, some were held on remand for more than three years and remained incarcerated for an additional five years as the judicial process unfolded, only to be found innocent later. To date, hundreds of people have remained in years- long pretrial custody. In one such case, the so-called Peacock case, one person was tried in Guatemala, another in Austria and yet another in Spain.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“We would be remiss if we did not mention another abuse, which is the occurrences involving the excessive use of force and abuse of power that have become popularly known as “CICIG black Thursdays”, which, in addition to the aforementioned press conferences, include arrests and raids characterized by the use of excessive force accompanied by the presence of dozens of heavily armed police with high-calibre rifles. In that regard, Guatemala was astonished by one such raid, on 2 November 2016, which involved illegal entry into the presidential residence. This abuse was deplorable because, in addition to breaking through the three security perimeters of the presidential residence, the very institutional integrity of our country was jeopardized. CICIG personnel and United Nations vehicles took part in that raid.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Contrary to the guidelines for international human rights instruments and the Guatemalan constitutional order, the Commission’s statements always began with press conferences, mediating cases in violation of the presumption of innocence, because through such mediation pressure was exerted on judges and magistrates with regard to their decisions. The statement made by the jurist who heads the Commission — to the effect that persons become less innocent as investigations and the criminal process move forward — violates the political Constitution of our Republic, which guarantees the human right to the presumption of innocence. A person remains innocent until a final finding of guilt is handed down.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“In that regard, I want to point to the indifference and passivity of the Secretary-General, whom I personally and officially informed for more than a year of the concerns of the Government of Guatemala about the bad practices of CICIG and its Commissioner. I want to make it clear that I will not defend those who are corrupt or advocate for anyone involved in a judicial process pitted against the Guatemalan justice system. At the same time, however, no one can deny that, just like the Bitkovs, many Guatemalan people and families have also suffered illegal persecutions and violations of their human rights and constitutional guarantees at the hands of the Commission, which has enjoyed total impunity. How is it that the principles of the presumption of innocence and due process have been violated by CICIG in Guatemala?”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“In recent years, increasing doubts have been raised about CICIG at the national and international levels and, to our astonishment, a case involving the persecution of a Russian family, the Bitkovs, became known throughout the world. The United States Helsinki Commission has requested CICIG to provide it with information on that matter, and the Commission has repeatedly refused to do so. That refusal to demonstrate accountability entirely contradicts the spirit of the Commission’s fight against impunity. I reiterate my country’s astonishment that despite the fact that the Guatemalan Government expressed its concerns about CICIG abuses, it took a case affecting international interests to get the international community to understand the injustices committed by that United Nations Commission.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Given the circumstances, it is essential to familiarize the international community with the reasons why it was decided not to extend CICIG’s mandate. First, it violated the political Constitution of the Republic, our laws and the very agreement on which its establishment was based, while overreaching the limits of its mandate, manipulating justice and undermining the presumption of innocence and due process. Secondly, Commissioner Velásquez meddled in the country’s internal affairs, while politicizing justice and judicializing politics; those abuses have polarized Guatemalan society and led to an environment of instability jeopardizing national security.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“At the same time, we have asked the Secretary-General to begin transferring capacities to those Guatemala institutions responsible for ensuring justice, in accordance with the mandate. The State of Guatemala is grateful for the technical support provided by CICIG in strengthening its democratic institutions, and we appreciate its contributions to fostering a culture of transparency and combating impunity and, especially, corruption. We are also grateful to the international community for its financial support in sustaining CICIG throughout these years. For the sake of transparency, it would be very fitting for the Secretary-General to report on the details of the use of resources since the establishment of the Commission so as to inform the international community on the allocation of the approved funds.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Building peace is no easy task, as the grave consequences of the armed conflict weakened our institutions. Guatemala is the only State to have signed a cooperation agreement with the United Nations Secretariat establishing an international commission against impunity, known as the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), which was originally to last for two years. In weighing the initiative’s value, the State of Guatemala decided to extend that period five times. Under the direction of three Commissioners, the CICIG had its high and low points, and as a sovereign State Guatemala decided not to request a sixth extension, as we believe that more than a decade has provided it with enough time to fulfil its mandate.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“On the contrary, as President of the Republic, I have led the fight against corruption and efforts to increase governmental transparency and accountability. Proof of this is that we have taken important steps with the OECD to improve good practices in favour of governmental transparency. In line with the foregoing, we believe it necessary to respect the sovereignty of each country and to guarantee full freedom and recognize the beliefs, values and principles of each State, and not to impose a global bureaucratic agenda that dictates how that bureaucracy thinks things should be. After almost four decades of internal armed conflict, Guatemalans signed a strong and lasting peace, and we have undertaken the very arduous and difficult task of building and maintaining it.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“It is also a tool for nurturing integrity, transparency, honesty and compliance with standards that minimize the risk of bribery by complying with legal obligations. In addition, 16 years after the last census, we carried out a national population and housing census this year with state-of-the-art digital cartography, reaching 96 per cent of households, which will contribute to quality statistical information that will be vital for the evaluation and measurement of our public policies. I will now address the issues of security and justice, because my Government has been and always will be respectful of the law and the rule of law. With my head held high, I can say that there is no sign of corruption in the management of our Government.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Guatemala has worked hard to comply with the international standards of the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes, and has ratified the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). These efforts have enabled us to be removed from the list of countries considered to be tax havens. In the same vein, the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic of Guatemala has received ISO 9001:2015 certification for the quality of its management, and it recently received ISO 37001:2016 certification for its anti-bribery management system, the only such certification in the world. The management system helps institutions to improve their overall performance and provide a solid basis for sustainable development initiatives.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“We have seized 34,000 kilos of cocaine and increased heroin seizures by 400 per cent over previous years. This means that in two years we have seized more drugs than in the previous eight years combined, preventing more than 30 million United States and European citizens from being affected by the consumption of these drugs. Guatemala has made important advances in the areas of transparency and the fight against corruption. Our Open Government initiative and mechanism are working on the basis of our third national action plan, for the period from 2016 to 2018, which has fulfilled 87 per cent of its commitments in the areas of access to public information, fiscal transparency, civic participation, technological innovation and accountability.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Similarly, the cost of moving goods has been reduced by between 21 and 25 per cent, boosting exports and generating an increase in our countries’ gross domestic product and improving tax collection and our companies’ competitiveness. According to data from the World Bank, transit across our borders has been reduced from between six and 55 hours to 15 minutes. This customs union turns the three Central American countries into a market of 32 million people. Guatemala’s efforts to combat transnational threats are unprecedented in the region. The determination and commitment of the Guatemalan security forces have enabled us to eradicate more than 471 million poppy plants, worth $1.4 billion, over the past two years, with the cooperation of United States agencies.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“We therefore also welcome the decision of the Government of Belize to set the date of 10 April 2019 for its own referendum, and we look forward to the results with great enthusiasm. The pursuit of development in the region also leads to peace and prosperity. We can share with joy that Central American economic integration continues to grow in strength and make progress after half a century. This year, we took a historic step with the establishment of a customs union between Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. For Central America, this customs union means that 80 per cent of bilateral trade will enjoy the free transit of goods, thanks to tariff harmonization.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“One example of this view of our country and of our search for permanent peace is Guatemala’s iron determination to resolve peacefully and definitively the territorial, insular and maritime dispute that we have had with Belize for more than a century and a half. I am pleased to share with the Assembly that, on 15 April, a referendum was held in Guatemala on the question of submitting this case to the International Court of Justice, resulting in a resounding “yes”. Ninety-six per cent of voters voted in favour in the most participatory referendum in the country’s history. We are convinced that the resolution of this dispute will bring economic, social and political benefits to both countries.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Today we have the opportunity to reflect on the role played by the United Nations in the world order, respecting the sovereignty of the countries that make it up, and I am more than ever convinced that our task is no greater than our forces. Behind me is a symbol that in this era, in which we find so many barriers and differences, we can associate with peace and cooperation, and see as a meeting point for dialogue, tolerance and respect. At the same time, I represent Guatemala, a country with strong traditions and a people that believes in God, that loves and respects the family as the basis of society, that sees life as starting at conception, and that is dedicated to freedom and the construction of a peaceful society.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“As I am participating in the opening of this session of the General Assembly, it gives me great pleasure to congratulate Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés on her election to preside over this world forum as the first Latin American woman and the fourth woman in history to hold the position. I wish her success and have no doubt that she will do an excellent job throughout this session. On behalf of the Government and the people of Guatemala, I would like to thank the international community and the various humanitarian assistance organizations for their solidarity and support in the face of the tragedy that occurred in my country on 3 June as a result of the volcanic eruption that caused irreparable human losses, hundreds of injuries, extensive material damage and resulted in more than 1.7 million victims.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“I have welcomed the call for dialogue by some parties, and today, as a democratically elected representative of national unity, I call on all sectors to engage in a serious dialogue on themes that are truly structural, in which we seek solutions to the problems, with all of us participating and helping as a nation. That participation will allow us to speak of deep reforms to the State, which we must solve in the areas of security and justice, and of economic and social development, both rural and urban, as well as the issue of political participation and the functioning of the State. I will return to my country, as always, with hopes of a better future.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)