Vol. 490 No. 2
105 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will provide details of human rights abuses in Guatemala; the action, if any, he has taken to ensure respect for human rights in that country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10074/98]
The final peace agreement, the Agreement on a Firm and Lasting Peace, between the Guatemalan Government and the various political factions in that country was signed on 29 December 1996. A report of the United Nations Secretary General's human rights mission to Guatemala dated 13 February 1998 has noted that the human rights situation in Guatemala has improved substantially. This does not mean that there are no longer any human rights problems. Many have been inherited from the past, including the question of the recognition of and compensation for victims of human rights abuses. The solution to others will require a more developed democratic structure. A particular concern is that impunity of alleged human rights abusers remains a problem. There is also a need to tackle structural defects in the system of the administration of justice.
At its recent session in Geneva, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights adopted unanimously with Irish support, a Resolution on assistance to Guatemala in the field of human rights. This Resolution was based on the UN report of 13 February. The Resolution notes that institutionally there no longer exists an established state policy that violates basic human rights or individual rights in the country, and declares support for the work of the Commission for Historical Clarification which is examining past human rights abuses and the issue of compensation for victims of those abuses. It also calls on the Guatemalan Government to assist that commission in its important work and to continue with its efforts to tackle the human rights problems that remain. In this connection, I wish to add my voice to the condemnation by the UN Secretary General of the assassination on 26 April of Monsignor Juan Gerardi, Co-ordinator General of the Human Rights Office of the Archbishopric of Guatemala. I wish to see a thorough investigation into this brutal crime and I note that the United Nations is closely monitoring the investigation by the Guatemalan authorities. I can assure the Deputy that along with our European Union partners the Government will continue to impress upon the Guatemalan authorities the need to adhere to international human rights standards and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations.
106 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will provide additional funding to non-governmental organisations working in Guatemala to aid the alleviation of poverty and recovery from an extended period of human rights abuses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10075/98]
Under the Irish Government's bilateral aid programme, the co-financing scheme with non-governmental organisations, NGOs, provides grants for small to medium-sized projects which meet basic needs in the sectors of health, education, water-sanitation, income generation, rural development and urban community development. Under this scheme a total of nine development projects in Guatemala have been supported since 1994 through block grant funding to Trócaire, the principal Irish NGO working in Guatemala. Funding for these projects has amounted to £102,481.
In 1998, block funding is again being made available to Trócaire for development projects. It is expected that some of this funding will be allocated to projects in Guatemala. The Department will be happy to consider funding applications for appropriate development projects in Guatemala from other Irish or Irish-linked NGOs. In November 1997 a grant of IR£49,400 was given to Trócaire towards a specific human rights training programme in Guatemala. The project aims to contribute to the peace process in Guatemala and the establishment of a society based on respect and human rights. Activities under the project will include training in exhumation techniques; seminars on trauma counselling and training of human rights monitors. The Centre for Legal Action for Human Rights, CALDH, will implement the programme. Trócaire has been working with CALDH for five years and will monitor the programme.
The Agency for Personal Service Overseas, APSO, has recently recruited and is fully funding eight United Nations volunteers to work as human rights officers in Guatemala. The volunteers will work in the UN Verification Mission, Minugua, which has a mandate to verify the implementation of the comprehensive agreement on human rights entered into by the Government of Guatemala and the Unidad Revoluncionaria Nacional Guatemalteca. The approximate cost to APSO will be £220,000. APSO is fully funded by the Department's bilateral aid programme.
