SWEDEN RATIFIES SUPPORT FOR COMMISSION

Guatemala, December 6, 2013. The Government of Sweden pledged GTQ 75 million to support the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) over the coming two years of its mandate. The donation will facilitate the efforts of the Commission to investigate and identify illegal groups and their ties to State officials.

The agreement was entered into by way of an addendumsigned by the Ambassador of Sweden, Michael Frühling, the UNDP Country Director, Richard Barathe, and Commissioner Iván Velásquez. The Attorney General of the Republic, Claudia Paz y Paz, attended the event as a special guest.

According to Ambassador Michael Frühling, the financial contribution of Sweden seeks to support CICIG in establishing the existence of illegal security forces and clandestine security organizations as well as defining their structure, modus operandi, sources of funding, and possible ties to State bodies and officials who infringe civil and political rights.

"We are aware that impunity is a complex, dramatic problem that can devastate any country. Guatemala suffers greatly and the existence of illegal security forces makes impunity difficult to break down and overcome. Therefore, Guatemala has wisely sought political, economic and technical support on an international level in order to bolster its fight against impunity," he said.

The Ambassador added that international development cooperation is at the heart of Sweden's foreign policy, with an emphasis on human rights from the perspective of the poor, in accordance with democratic principles and the rule of law. In this regard, the Government of Sweden on an annual basis allocates 1 % of GDP to international cooperation efforts under its national budget. Since 2007, Sweden had donated approximately GTQ 200 million to CICIG as part of efforts to support justice institutions in the fight against impunity.

Investigations will be a priority
The Commissioner thanked the Ambassador for the financial support, because it is an indication of the confidence that the Swedish Government places in the work of CICIG, a body created through an agreement signed by successive Guatemalan Governments. These Governments have all seen the need for international support and assistance in fighting impunity.

He stressed that the distinctive feature of the Commission as compared to other institutional strengthening bodies is its capacity to investigate and prosecute, and these two areas will be the focus of the activities of CICIG over the coming two years. Through these two areas other pillars of the mandate are addressed, such as skills transfer, the strengthening of justice institutions, legislative reform proposals, and the presentation of thematic reports.

The Commissioner stated that skills transfer should be achieved in practice rather than through conferences or seminars. "I believe the investigators, analysts and prosecutors learn new investigation techniques through their investigative work, and not necessarily through talks, which—despite being necessary—will not be a priority of the Commission's work."

He underlined the fact that the work conducted by CICIG has been possible because countries such as Sweden have shown belief and backed the project, based on common ideals of justice.

Progress
The Attorney General said the international community had a vested interest in achieving justice in Guatemala and, as a result, previous Governments had requested the support of the United Nations in setting up CICIG in the country.

"During these years, we have worked in conjunction with CICIG lawyers, investigators, and analysts. This has led to the strengthening of criminal and financial analysis departments as well as improving prosecutor security, the investigation and litigation of paradigmatic cases and crimes committed by criminal structures," she said.

The UNDP Country Director, Richard Barathe, said that great progress had been seen in the fight against impunity, as demonstrated by the dismantling of criminal networks by the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) and CICIG.

"We are pleased with the work of the Commission under the leadership of Commissioner Velásquez, and we applaud the interinstitutional efforts that have dismantled crime networks in the country," he said.