•HRES 1186 IH 
and the Caribbean, and encompass 24 ethnic groups, in-
cluding the Maya, Garifuna, and Xinka peoples; 
Whereas, during Guatemala’s brutal 36-year civil war, the 
military dictatorships intentionally targeted the Indige-
nous population, with Mayans accounting for 83 percent 
of the approximately 200,000 citizens killed during the 
war, according to the Commission for Historical Clari-
fication, and stole Indigenous communities’ land and re-
sources; 
Whereas the Political Constitution of the Republic of Guate-
mala recognizes the rights of Indigenous peoples and de-
fines Guatemala as a multicultural society, and the Gov-
ernment has recognized Indigenous groups’ rights in the 
Peace Agreements that ended the civil war and ratified 
international agreements on the rights of Indigenous peo-
ples; 
Whereas, despite these formal recognitions, a history of inten-
tional underinvestment, systemic discrimination, and ex-
clusion has led to stark social, health, educational, eco-
nomic, and political disparities between Indigenous and 
non-Indigenous Guatemalans, with inequities even worse 
for Indigenous women; 
Whereas large inequities continue to exist between Indigenous 
and non-Indigenous Guatemalans, including the Guate-
malan Government investing 0.4 USD per day in each 
Indigenous person compared to 0.9 USD per day in each 
non-Indigenous person, poverty affecting 75 percent of 
Indigenous people compared to 36 percent of non-Indige-
nous people, chronic malnutrition affecting 58 percent of 
Indigenous people compared to 38 percent of non-Indige-
nous people, and Indigenous people comprising less than 
15 percent of high-ranking political office positions, ac-
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•HRES 1186 IH 
cording to the International Work Group for Indigenous 
Affairs; 
Whereas the Guatemalan state is not in compliance with its 
own international and domestic obligations for receiving 
‘‘prior, informed consent’’ of affected populations on mat-
ters involving projects and investments in Indigenous ter-
ritories; 
Whereas the ongoing struggle to survive has led many Indige-
nous people to consider irregular migration as an alter-
native, resulting in the high percentage of unaccompanied 
Guatemalan children and migrants in the United States 
who identify as Indigenous; 
Whereas in the face of persistent inequity and mistreatment, 
Guatemala’s Indigenous communities have shown re-
markable resilience, strength, and resolve to create better 
conditions and a more promising future; 
Whereas, despite the Government and private sector’s ne-
glect, underinvestment, and discrimination against Gua-
temala’s Indigenous peoples and their organizations, In-
digenous communities have a long history of advocating 
for their rights and justice by mobilizing against govern-
ment corruption and the rollback of human rights, fight-
ing to defend Indigenous lands, resources, and territories 
at the risk of being arrested for doing so, and lodging 
complaints about the exclusion of Indigenous people from 
COVID–19 treatment; 
Whereas this powerful legacy of activism was pivotal in de-
fending democracy in Guatemala during the 2023 Presi-
dential elections and transfer of power; 
Whereas general elections were held in Guatemala on June 
25, 2023, resulting in a runoff election between the two 
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Presidential candidates receiving the most votes, then- 
Congressman Bernardo Are´valo of the Movimiento 
Semilla party (Semilla) and Sandra Torres, a former 
First Lady representing the Unidad Nacional de la 
Esperanza Party; 
Whereas the runoff election, held on August 20, 2023, re-
sulted in the people of Guatemala electing Are´valo as 
President with more than 60 percent of the popular vote; 
Whereas the election observation teams from the European 
Union and the Organization of American States, which 
were present at the invitation of the Government of Gua-
temala, reported that both rounds of the election were 
run professionally and efficiently and concluded that 
there was no basis for claims of fraud; 
Whereas Guatemala’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal certified 
that the Presidential elections upheld national, regional, 
and international standards for a democratic election; 
Whereas, immediately following the election of Are´valo on 
August 20, 2023, Guatemala’s Public Ministry, led by 
Attorney General Marı´a Consuelo Porras Argueta, who is 
backed by the Constitutional Court and sanctioned by the 
United States Government for significant corrupt and 
undemocratic activities in abuse of her powers, initiated 
a series of efforts to overturn the electoral results and 
undermine President-elect Are´valo’s inauguration; 
Whereas the Guatemalan judicial system, particularly under 
Attorney General Porras, has engaged in the spurious 
and widespread prosecution of Indigenous advocates and 
authorities, such as those fighting against illegal and de-
structive resource extraction projects on Indigenous 
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lands, amongst others fighting for reform and human 
rights; 
Whereas Indigenous leaders bravely stood up for their coun-
try by issuing legal challenges against the Public Min-
istry’s actions and contributing to marches despite in-
creasingly arbitrary attacks by prosecutors seeking to de-
rail the transition of power; 
Whereas these attacks motivated Mayan, Xinka, and 
Garifuna organizations to spearhead massive nationwide 
protests beginning in October 2023 that also mobilized 
Ladino organizations; 
Whereas these widespread demonstrations garnered global at-
tention and pressure to adhere to the election results and 
intensified domestic calls for government reforms; 
Whereas Indigenous leaders were committed to sustaining na-
tionwide protests until arbitrary attempts to delegitimize 
the transition of power were halted; 
Whereas following 106 days of protests, President-elect 
Are´valo was inaugurated as the next President of Guate-
mala just after midnight on January 15, 2024, after 
nearly 10 hours of delays by some Members of Guate-
mala’s Congress; 
Whereas President Are´valo has committed to upholding In-
digenous rights and respecting Indigenous cultures and 
communities and became the first Guatemalan President 
to participate in a public Mayan ceremony following his 
inauguration, and has recognized their leadership in de-
fense of Guatemala’s democracy; 
Whereas the Are´valo administration has made progress in ad-
vancing dialogue with Indigenous authorities, including 
Mayan Ixil and Achi leaders, to take joint measures to 
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overcome the legacy of discrimination, marginalization, 
and violence directed against Indigenous communities; 
and 
Whereas President Are´valo’s cabinet includes only one Mayan 
woman, Minister of Labor and Social Welfare Miriam 
Roquel Cha´vez, and he has promised to appoint more In-
digenous leaders to vice ministries and other positions of 
authority in his administration to better reflect the diver-
sity of the Guatemalan people: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) stands with the people of Guatemala in 
their fight against corruption and for democratic 
governance, justice, and a better future; 
(2) commends the efforts of Guatemala’s Indig-
enous people to uphold democratic processes and at-
tain equitable outcomes for their communities; 
(3) underscores the need for the Are´valo admin-
istration and future governments, including the Con-
stitutional Court and Public Prosecutor’s Office, to 
protect, represent the will of, and serve the interests 
of all Guatemalans; and 
(4) urges the President of the United States, 
the Secretary of State, and the Administrator of the 
United States Agency for International Development 
to— 
(A) encourage the Guatemalan Govern-
ment to meet its commitments to be more 
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transparent, accountable, and responsive to the 
Guatemalan people, including to its Indigenous 
communities; 
(B) monitor the actions of private sector 
entities in Guatemala that have had deep ties to 
corruption, violence, and organized crime; 
(C) support the Guatemalan Government’s 
efforts to build a more secure, democratic, and 
prosperous country and to expand opportunities 
for all Guatemalans to live safe, fulfilled lives; 
(D) increase engagement with and support 
for communities in Guatemala on the front 
lines of defending human rights and democracy 
for all to ensure their voices and recommenda-
tions steer and inform any United States deci-
sion or action related to Guatemala; and 
(E) use the vote and voice of the United 
States Government in multilateral institutions 
to which the United States is a party and that 
operate in Guatemala to comply with the rights 
of affected populations to ‘‘prior, informed con-
sent’’ for all lending operations, and all Guate-
malan laws by ensuring within their operations 
the protection of the rights of Indigenous peo-
ple, rights that are reflected in Guatemala’s Po-
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litical Constitution and international human 
rights treaties. 
Æ 
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