Countries / Guatemala / Dossier
Guatemala
A combined view of Guatemala's UN General Assembly speeches, treaty commitments, and voting record.
The narrative paragraphs below are AI-generated syntheses of the data shown — the tables and figures themselves come directly from the underlying records, not from the AI.
Compare with another country →Speech history
Guatemala's General Assembly rhetoric has evolved from measured, domestically-focused reform narratives (2006–2012) toward increasingly emotional appeals for multilateral institutional transformation, particularly after 2018. The most dramatic shift occurred with sharp criticism of UN bodies, especially the CICIG anti-corruption commission (2018–2019), which temporarily depressed multilateralism scores to 28 before recovering; more recently (2022–2025), speeches have rebalanced sovereignty assertions with fervent calls for UN reform and global cooperation on migration, climate, and conflict. Emotional intensity has generally risen, peaking at 81 in 2023 and remaining elevated, while self-accountability has become more variable, suggesting Guatemala increasingly frames its participation as conditional on institutional reform rather than unconditional engagement.
| Session | Multilateralism | Emotional intensity | Concreteness | Self-accountability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | High | Low | High | High |
| 2008 | High | High | High | High |
| 2009 | High | High | High | Medium |
| 2012 | High | Medium | High | High |
| 2013 | Medium | Low | High | High |
| 2015 | High | High | High | Medium |
| 2016 | Very High | High | Medium | High |
| 2017 | High | Low | High | High |
| 2018 | Low | High | High | High |
| 2019 | Low | High | High | High |
| 2020 | High | Low | High | High |
| 2022 | High | High | High | High |
| 2023 | High | Very High | Medium | Medium |
| 2024 | Very High | High | Medium | High |
| 2025 | Very High | High | Medium | High |
Treaty status
Full treaty record →Guatemala demonstrates strong commitment to environmental and human rights frameworks, having ratified all but one of the 24 tracked treaties—only the Minamata Convention remains signed but unratified. The ratification pattern shows particular dedication to climate (Paris Agreement, Kyoto Protocol, UNFCCC), arms control (including the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons), and core human rights instruments (torture, discrimination, children's rights, disability rights, and the ICC's Rome Statute). This broad compliance with international legal obligations contrasts sharply with Guatemala's recent rhetorical skepticism toward some UN institutional mechanisms, suggesting a distinction between commitment to treaty law itself and comfort with enforcement bodies.
Arms control & security
- Arms Trade TreatyRatified
- Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban TreatyRatified
- Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their DestructionRatified
- Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear WeaponsRatified
Environment & climate
- Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their DisposalRatified
- Convention on Biological DiversityRatified
- Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone LayerRatified
- Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeRatified
- Minamata Convention on MercurySigned, not ratified
- Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone LayerRatified
- Paris AgreementRatified
- Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International TradeRatified
- Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic PollutantsRatified
- United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in AfricaRatified
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeRatified
Human rights
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or PunishmentRatified
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against WomenRatified
- Convention on the Rights of Persons with DisabilitiesRatified
- Convention on the Rights of the ChildRatified
- International Covenant on Civil and Political RightsRatified
International justice
- Rome Statute of the International Criminal CourtRatified
Trade & governance
- United Nations Convention against CorruptionRatified
- United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized CrimeRatified
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the SeaRatified
Voting record
Full voting record →Guatemala aligns with General Assembly consensus on the vast majority of votes (4,481 yes out of 5,694 votes), but its notable dissents—primarily on Belize's UN admission (1981) and colonial/Palestinian issues—reveal persistent territorial and regional sensitivities. The rare no votes cluster around geopolitical and sovereignty disputes rather than broad thematic opposition, suggesting Guatemala generally supports multilateral consensus while defending specific national or regional interests. The moderate abstention rate (655 votes, ~11%) reflects selective caution on polarized issues, consistent with Guatemala's recent rhetoric of conditional multilateralism tied to institutional reform.
Notable dissents from consensus
Admission of Belize to membership in the United Nations : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
1981-09-25 · voted N · 99% voted yes
General procedure of the Trusteeship Council : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
1950-12-02 · voted N · 98% voted yes
Situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in El Salvador : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
1985-12-13 · voted N · 98% voted yes
Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
1981-12-01 · voted N · 98% voted yes
Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
1978-12-18 · voted N · 97% voted yes
Human development
Full HDI record →Human Development Index: 0.662 (Medium), ranked #137 globally in 2023.
Combines life expectancy, education, and income into one comparable score, 0 to 1. Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025 — deterministic figures, not AI-generated.
1990–2023