Context
Peace accords were signed in Guatemala in 1996, confirming and heightening expectations that the country would undertake political, economic, legal and social reforms to consolidate democracy and the rule of law, resolve land issues and strengthen human rights.
Almost 25 years on, these challenges remain as current as ever. German development cooperation is already promoting reform initiatives by state, civil society and private actors to address the issues prioritised by the Guatemalan Government. However, attempts at reform to date have often failed because they either lacked a sufficiently sound technical basis or were not debated publicly and therefore failed to gain support among the population. The project targets these two points.
Objective
Proposed reforms in the fields of democratic security and justice, economic development, social inclusion and sustainable rural development are discussed and implemented in a transparent and participatory manner.
Approach
Structural and regulatory policy changes need political backing, time and local initiative. The Fund therefore only supports initiatives that meet the criteria of relevance, feasibility, transparency and participation. The promoted initiatives thus address the fields of activity and priority areas of German development cooperation. Furthermore, institutions that propose initiatives foster transparent and open public debate.
The Fund’s steering committee comprises representatives of the Guatemalan Secretariat for Planning and Programming of the Presidency (SEGEPLAN), the German Embassy in Guatemala, GIZ and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The committee has supported 15 measures to date and is currently funding 19 measures.
Last update: February 2022