Guatemala, 2025

The Assembly will hear an address by His Excellency César Bernardo Arrivalo de León, President of the Republic of Guatemala. I request protocol to escort His Excellency and invite him to address the Assembly. Madam President of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, Mr. Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, Heads of State, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, a very good afternoon to you. 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 the Americas, from the lands inhabited for centuries by the Quechua people in northern Guatemala. I greet you in the language spoken in the region of Berapa'a, that means true peace, a region that could only be incorporated into the Spanish colonial administration through peaceful means after 20 years of dignified resistance. And I present these words to call for the true peace, which today seems so distant. In the ancestral calendar of the Mayan peoples, periods of 20 years are called catunes, so in 2025 we can say that four catunes will have passed since the United Nations was founded. This means that we are closing one cycle and opening another. Before us we have an opportunity to seek well-being, to reflect and repair, to achieve justice and to begin anew. Eighty years ago the peoples and governments of the world decided to establish a new way of relating to one another. Out of the ruins of a war that shook humanity's deepest convictions in every corner of the planet, emerged the certainty that dialogue and cooperation would be central tools in building a new world, in transforming fear, dismay and shame into hope, responsibility and into a steadfast commitment to peace. Today the shadows of war are once again visible on the horizon and military abuses committed against vulnerable communities affront humanity as a whole. The current crisis is a harsh reminder that we have not done enough to achieve the ideal of a world in which the life and dignity of all persons are respected without question. We must recall the transformative momentum that we saw in 1945 and the courage of those leaders who dared to believe that a world of peace, justice, solidarity and harmony was possible and who began to work to build that. Our predecessors imagined, constructed and bequeathed to us a permanent forum for dialogue and mutual understanding, grounded in the belief that the destiny of each nation is also the destiny of humanity. A forum where the voices of all countries would be heard regardless of the size of their territory, economy or army. A multilateral forum guided by the principle of sovereign equality in the pursuit of peace and committed to preventing the repetition of past suffering and ensuring the full enjoyment of human rights. This organisation was built upon the principle that no single nation can guarantee world security alone. We should by now have learnt that unchecked power can tear irreparable holes in the fabric of humanity. We should have learnt by now that advances in science and technology can produce unimaginable catastrophes if left in the hands of unchecked power. We should have learnt by now that any country We should have learnt by now that any international mechanism must include strong, binding and enforceable agreements in order to be effective. Ladies and gentlemen, just how much has the world changed since 1945? This organisation has contributed significantly to decolonisation processes and to the ending and stabilisation of armed conflicts across the globe, including in my country, Guatemala. The various UN bodies have actively sought well-being in all corners of the earth, achieving major advances through cooperation and mutual support in areas such as public health, environmental protection, the fight against poverty and the promotion of gender equality. Guatemala saw firsthand the watershed represented by the founding of the UN in terms of how it established universal multilateral diplomacy as a way of addressing conflict. Our country attended the San Francisco conference with the drive and transformative enthusiasm of the democratic revolution of 20th October 1944. This was a revolution that today remains a fundamental touchstone for continental aspirations of sovereignty, dignity and genuine independence. However, from 1960 onwards, Guatemalans endured one of the longest and bloodiest internal wars in our continent. This war claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, entailed 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 adopted the Peace Accords to ensure the full effect of human rights and the non-recurrence of the horrors that we've left behind. The support of the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala was decisive in giving the country's diverse sectors the certainty that peace was possible. But this is a struggle that never lets up and that continues to pose important challenges for our society. Guatemala's democracy was supported by the United Nations and other multilateral bodies such as the Organization of American States. In recent decades, we have received support to strengthen our judicial institutions and to combat corruption and impunity. This has helped the people of Guatemala to strengthen their struggle to secure effective government, an independent justice system, clean and transparent elections and a future of progress and well-being. After a long period of institutional dismantling during which corruption was simply how the system conventionally worked, Guatemala is now returning to the path of democratic recovery. We are convinced that cleaning up our institutions is essential to consolidating democracy, despite the difficulties posed by the constant harassment that we suffer from anti-democratic actors entrenched within our justice system. In a hostile context, we have acted to combat corruption and impunity and to promote transparency and accountability. My administration defends, promotes and protects human rights and does so firmly. We remain committed to safeguarding the freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. After more than seven years, we have reopened our doors to the monitoring mechanisms of the United Nations Human Rights Protection System. We have received seven official visits, including that of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the visit of the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers and of the Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing. However, the results that we have achieved so far are not enough. The process of change that we are undergoing requires improving how we take collective decisions. In a country where exclusion and discrimination were everyday features of our public administration, my government is breaking down historical barriers and is 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 throughout the country. We know that there can be no democracy without social justice, nor social justice without democracy. We are engaged in a decisive struggle against corrupt and authoritarian forces who seek at all costs to keep institutions in their control and to perpetuate impunity in their determination to pervert justice. They criminalize and persecute indigenous leaders who defend democracy, such as Luis Pacheco, journalists who denounce corruption, such as José Rubén Zamora, judges, such as Virginia La Parra, and anyone else who opposes their designs of corruption and impunity, driving them into exile or imprisoning them arbitrarily. 2026 will be a crucial year for Guatemala. It will bring elections for new authorities and key oversight and justice bodies. It is essential that these selection processes be conducted transparently, impartially, and in accordance with the law. We have therefore formally requested the technical and political support 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 this. I invite the international community to continue supporting these efforts through technical oversight, institutional assistance, and further cooperation. Madam President, Distinguished Delegates, Beyond our domestic efforts, Guatemala strives to meet its commitments to its neighbors and to the world. We are strengthening our capacity to be able to address the needs of the thousands of migrants who transit our territory, ensuring that they receive dignified treatment, the same dignified treatment that we demand for Guatemalans abroad. At the same time, we are tackling the root causes of poverty that have forced so many Guatemalans to migrate, and we are stepping up the assistance that we provide to our citizens in the United States and in Mexico. Together with our neighbors, we are promoting major initiatives to combat transnational organized crime and drug trafficking. We participate actively in seven peacekeeping missions and contribute 150 personnel to the multinational security support mission in Haiti. We support the Secretary General's proposal to transform that mission into a hybrid mission backed by the organization and financed from the assessed peacekeeping contributions. We reaffirm our support for Haiti and its efforts to achieve stability with the backing of the international community. Distinguished Delegates, Climate change is the greatest existential threat facing humanity. It can only be addressed through joint action by the peoples and governments of the world. One example of this is the collaboration that we've established with our neighbors in Mexico and Belize to protect the biocultural corridor of the Great Maya Forest, which is one of the continent's main lungs. Although Guatemala is responsible for only a tiny fraction of global emissions, we are one of the countries that is most vulnerable to their effects. That's why we have reactivated and strengthened our National Climate Change Council. This is tasked with reviewing national plans, strategies and targets that contribute to the quest for common solutions. Guatemala recognizes that many countries need effective access to climate finance, to technology transfer and capacity building. We therefore urge all states to honor their climate finance pledges and to accelerate the implementation of the Paris Agreement. By cooperating with our neighbors to protect migrants, by taking the measures necessary to restore our environment, by participating actively in peacekeeping operations, by offering our experience and our knowledge where they're needed, this is how Guatemala participates in this great mosaic of the United Nations. Madam President, the forthcoming judgment of the International Court of Justice will bring an end to the territorial, insular and maritime dispute with our neighbor Belize. The written phase has now been concluded and the oral hearings are scheduled for next year. We now stand before an historic opportunity to open a new chapter in relations between the two countries, Resolving this dispute peacefully is an example of how even the most complex differences can lead to peace and cooperation. Guatemala reiterates its commitment to strengthening its bilateral relations with Belize on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful cooperation and the observance of international law. We are at a crossroads. At times when dialogue and consensus building are seen as signs of weakness, when the shadow of authoritarianism grows in many parts of the planet, when disinformation is leading many people to seek out quick fixes even at the cost of their lives, it is our duty to reaffirm the values and principles of solidarity which for 80 years have guided the spirit of this organization. My country makes an urgent appeal for us to remember that multilateralism is a matter of humanity. Humanity understood as the community of human beings and as a community of human beings. It is an urgent appeal for us to remember that multilateralism is a matter of humanity. Humanity understood as the community of human beings inhabiting this planet and aspiring to equality, happiness and well-being. But this is also humanity understood as the quality that allows us to feel empathy, to feel compassion and to be profoundly offended by any form of injustice committed against 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 which is that we can and must live together in peace. The universal aspiration for a world without war and the desire for sustainable peace mean ensuring legitimate open and plural processes to make decision-making more effective. This quest for legitimacy must not become an obstacle or an excuse for delaying necessary action. The United Nations has not fulfilled its mandate to act when military machinery is devastating 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 assistance to all war-torn territories. We must put an end to the invasion of Ukraine, an end to the war in Sudan, a total end to the suffering and death of the civilians in Gaza. We also call for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages. Consistent with the position that we have maintained since 1947, Guatemala calls for renewed efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement to the conflict between Israel and Palestine, ensuring the establishment of a state for the Palestinian people and its peaceful coexistence with the State of Israel. We should never have reached this point. It is up to us to learn from this painful moment and to act accordingly, as others have done over the last 80 years in this very hall. That is why we need to discuss and promote reforms of the United Nations that make our work more efficient and brings it closer to the peoples of the world, we must strengthen the impact of the United Nations and its three fundamental pillars, international peace and security, sustainable development and human rights. We reiterate the urgent need to reform the Security Council of the United Nations. This body, which is tasked with maintaining international peace and security, must reflect the realities of the 21st century, not the geopolitical structures of the past. We therefore support a more representative and democratic structure that removes the complications of the veto power and reflects today's geopolitical reality. In this regard, I wish to make my own the words of a former UN Secretary General, Ag Hammarskjöld, when he said, this organization was not created to take humanity to heaven, but to save humanity from hell. Peoples of the world, today multilateralism is in crisis. Its survival as joint action by free nations giving meaning, orientation and life to this organization depends on our ability to reform it and at the root. We cannot afford to waste any more time. We must strive to ensure that the United Nations becomes a community of united human beings caring for life in all of its forms and everywhere. Only this will guarantee true peace. Verapath. Thank you very much. On behalf of the General Assembly, I wish to thank President of Guatemala.