Guatemala

Madam President of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock;

Mr. Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres;

Heads of State, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen;

Good afternoon.

[The President opened with a greeting in the Q'eqchi' Mayan language, which he translated as:] "I bring a message of peace and harmony to the peoples of the world, on behalf of the four peoples of Guatemala."

These words come from the heart of Central America, from the territories that for centuries have been home to the Q'eqchi' people in northern Guatemala. I greet you in the language spoken in the region of Verapaz, the "true peace" — a region that could only be brought under Spanish colonial rule by peaceful means, after 20 years of dignified resistance. I bring these words to call for the "true peace" that today seems so distant.

In the ancestral calendar of the Mayan peoples, periods of 20 years are called katunes. That is why we can say that in 2025, four katunes have passed since the founding of the United Nations. That means we are closing one cycle and beginning another. Before us opens an opportunity to seek well-being; to reflect and repair; to do justice; to begin anew.

Eighty years ago, the peoples and governments of the world decided to found a new way of relating to one another. From the rubble of a war that shook humanity's deepest convictions in every corner of the planet, there emerged the certainty that dialogue and cooperation were the central tools for building a new world — to turn fear, dismay, and shame into hope, responsibility, and firm commitment to peace.

Today the shadows of war appear once again on the horizon, and military abuses committed against vulnerable communities offend all of humanity. The current crisis is a jolt back to reality, for it is clear that we have not done enough to achieve the ideal of a world where the life and dignity of every person is respected unquestionably. We must remember the transformative impulse of 1945 and the courage of those leaders who dared to believe that a world of peace, justice, solidarity, and harmony was possible, and who set to work building it.

Those who came before us imagined, built, and bequeathed to us a permanent forum for dialogue and mutual understanding, based on the conviction that the destiny of each nation is also the destiny of humanity; where the voices of all countries would be heard, regardless of the size of their territory, their economy, or their army. A multilateral forum guided by the principle of sovereign equality, oriented toward peace, and committed to the non-repetition of past suffering and to the full force of human rights.

This organization was built on the principle that no nation can guarantee world security on its own. It should have been clear to us that power without effective checks has the potential to produce irreparable ruptures in the fabric of humanity. We should have learned that advances in science and technology can produce unimaginable catastrophes if left in the hands of unchecked power. We should have learned that any international mechanism needs to include strong, binding, and enforceable agreements in order to be effective.

Ladies and gentlemen delegates:

How much has the world changed since 1945? This organization contributed significantly to processes of decolonization, and has helped to end and stabilize armed conflicts around the world, including in Guatemala. The various UN bodies have actively pursued well-being in every corner of the earth, achieving very important progress through cooperation and mutual support, in areas such as public health, environmental protection, the fight against poverty, and the promotion of gender equality.

Guatemala experienced firsthand the watershed moment that the founding of the UN represented in universalizing multilateral diplomacy for addressing different conflicts. Our country attended the San Francisco Conference with the transformative impetus and enthusiasm of the democratic revolution of October 20, 1944 — a revolution that even today remains a fundamental anchor for continental aspirations of sovereignty, dignity, and genuine independence. However, beginning in 1960, Guatemalans found ourselves engaged in one of the longest and bloodiest internal wars on our continent, which cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, involved countless human rights violations, and opened a deep wound in the collective soul of Guatemalan society. That long chapter of intolerance and political violence came to an end in 1996. Since then, our governments have upheld the Peace Accords as instruments that guarantee the force of human rights and the non-repetition of the horror we left behind. The support of the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA) was decisive in giving the country's various sectors the certainty that peace was possible. This is a struggle that does not cease and continues to pose significant challenges for our society.

Guatemalan democracy has been supported by the United Nations and by other multilateral bodies, such as the Organization of American States. In recent decades we have received support to strengthen our justice institutions, and to combat corruption and impunity. This has helped the people of Guatemala strengthen their struggle to secure an effective government, an independent justice system, clean and transparent elections, and a future of progress and well-being.

After a long cycle of institutional dismantling, in which corruption was the conventional way the system functioned, Guatemala is retaking the path of democratic recovery. We are convinced that cleaning up our institutions is an indispensable path to consolidating democracy, despite the difficulties posed by the constant harassment we face from anti-democratic actors entrenched in our justice system.

In a hostile context, we have taken action to fight corruption and impunity, and to promote transparency and accountability.

My administration firmly defends, promotes, and protects human rights, and remains committed to safeguarding the freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We have reopened our doors, after more than seven years, to the oversight mechanisms of the Universal Human Rights Protection System. We have received seven official visits, including that of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, and the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing.

However, the results we have achieved so far are not enough.

The process of change we are currently undergoing requires improving the way we make collective decisions. In a country where exclusion and discrimination were once commonplace in public administration, my government is breaking down historic barriers and working hand in hand with the ancestral authorities of Indigenous peoples, with civil society, and with various business sectors so that, together, we can foster development in every corner of the country. We know there is no democracy without social justice, nor social justice without democracy.

We are engaged in a decisive struggle against corrupt and authoritarian actors who seek at all costs to keep our institutions captured and to perpetuate impunity. In their eagerness to pervert justice, they criminalize and persecute Indigenous leaders who defended democracy, such as Luis Pacheco; journalists who expose corruption, such as José Rubén Zamora; justice operators such as Virginia Laparra; and anyone who opposes their designs of corruption and impunity, driving them into exile or unjustly imprisoning them.

The year 2026 will be crucial for Guatemala, as we must elect new authorities to key oversight and justice bodies. It is essential that these electoral processes be carried out with transparency, impartiality, and adherence to the law, which is why we have formally requested the technical and political accompaniment of our strategic partners to ensure that these processes meet the highest standards of legitimacy. Preserving our democracy and the possibility of building a genuine rule of law in Guatemala depend on it. I invite the international community to continue supporting these efforts through technical monitoring, institutional support, and cooperative vigilance.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen delegates:

In addition to our domestic efforts, Guatemala has taken on its commitments to its neighbors and to the world. We are strengthening our capacity to assist the thousands of migrants who pass through our territory, ensuring for them the dignified treatment we demand for Guatemalans who find themselves outside our territory. At the same time, we are decisively addressing the structural causes of poverty that force so many Guatemalans to migrate, and we are reinforcing the support we provide to our citizens in the United States and Mexico.

Together with our neighbors, we are promoting important initiatives to combat transnational organized crime and drug trafficking. We actively participate in seven peacekeeping missions, and we also contribute one hundred fifty troops to the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti (MSS). We support the Secretary-General's proposal to transform that mission into a hybrid mission, backed by the Organization and financed through assessed contributions for peacekeeping. We reaffirm our support for Haiti and its efforts to achieve stability with the backing of the international community.

Ladies and gentlemen delegates:

Climate change is the greatest existential threat facing humanity, and we can only address it through the joint action of the world's peoples and governments. One example of this is the collaboration we have established with our neighbors Mexico and Belize to ensure the protection of the Maya Forest Biocultural Corridor, one of the continent's principal lungs. Although Guatemala is responsible for only a minimal fraction of global emissions, we are one of the countries most vulnerable to their effects. That is why we have reactivated and strengthened the National Climate Change Council, tasked with reviewing plans, strategies, and national goals that contribute to finding common solutions. Guatemala recognizes that many countries need effective access to climate financing, technology transfer, and capacity building, which is why we urge all countries to fulfill their climate financing commitments and accelerate implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Cooperating with our neighbors to protect migrants; taking the necessary steps to restore our environment; actively participating in peacekeeping operations; offering our experience and knowledge wherever needed: this is how Guatemala does its part in this great mosaic that is the United Nations.

Madam President:

The forthcoming ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will bring an end to the Territorial, Insular, and Maritime Dispute with Belize. With the written phase now concluded and oral hearings awaited next year, followed eventually by a ruling, we stand before a historic opportunity to open a new chapter in relations between our two countries.

Resolving this dispute through peaceful means is an example of how even the most complex disputes can lead to peace and cooperation. Guatemala reiterates its commitment to strengthening our bilateral relations with Belize on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful cooperation, and adherence to international law.

Distinguished delegates:

We are at a crossroads. In times when dialogue and the search for consensus are seen as signs of weakness; in times when the shadow of authoritarianism grows in many parts of the planet; in times when disinformation leads many people to desire "quick fixes" even if that means sacrificing freedoms, we have an obligation to reaffirm the values and principles of solidarity that for 80 years have guided the spirit of this organization.

My country makes an urgent call to remember that multilateralism is a matter of humanity. Of humanity understood as the sum of human beings who inhabit this planet and who aspire to equality, happiness, and well-being. But also of humanity understood as our human capacity to feel empathy. To feel compassion. To feel profoundly offended by any injustice committed against one of our fellow human beings. For Guatemala it is very clear that injustice, anywhere in the world, is unacceptable.

Our main task as the United Nations is to recover a certainty: that we can and must live together in peace. The universal aspiration for a world without war and the longing for sustainable peace necessarily depend on ensuring legitimate, open, and pluralistic processes so that decision-making becomes more effective.

This pursuit of legitimacy must not become a brake or an excuse to delay necessary action. We, the United Nations, have not fulfilled our mandate to act when a military apparatus destroys individuals, families, communities, and entire populations in the name of security and sovereignty, as is happening right now in Ukraine, in Sudan, and in Gaza. We must immediately halt the attacks and guarantee the entry of humanitarian aid into all war-torn territories. We must put a stop to the invasion of Ukraine. A stop to the war in Sudan. A total stop to the suffering and death of civilians in Gaza. We also call for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages. Guatemala, consistent with the position it has held since 1947, calls for renewed efforts toward a peaceful solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine, one that guarantees the existence of a state for the Palestinian people and allows it to coexist peacefully with the State of Israel.

We should never have reached this point. It falls to us to learn from this painful moment and to act accordingly, as others did, over the past 80 years, in this very place. That is why it is necessary to discuss and advance reforms to the United Nations system, to make our work more efficient and closer to the peoples of the world. We must strengthen the impact of the United Nations across its three fundamental pillars: international peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights.

We reiterate the urgent need to reform the United Nations Security Council. This body — tasked with safeguarding international peace and security — must reflect the realities of the 21st century, not the geopolitical structures of the past. That is why we support a more representative and democratic structure, one that eliminates the complications posed by the veto power and reflects today's geopolitical reality. In this regard, I want to make my own the words of a former UN Secretary-General, Dag Hammarskjöld: "This Organization was not created to bring humanity to heaven, but to save humanity from hell."

Peoples of the world:

Today multilateralism is in crisis. Its survival, as the collective action of free nations that gives meaning, direction, and life to this organization, depends on our capacity to reform it profoundly. We cannot lose any more time. We must fight so that the United Nations becomes a community of United Human Beings who care for life in all its forms and everywhere. Only this will guarantee us True Peace, Verapaz.

B'antiox. Thank you very much.