Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes, the commission on impunity is doing good work, but it is not going to the high elites who are violating the rights of our people. I was talking about monoculture and monopolies. There is co-optation of the media as well, because we are not given coverage in the media and the

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I think it is an alternative. My people are farmers, and co-operative farming can be a way forward for Guatemala. We need a great deal of support, because although we say we are farmers, we don't have the technology to progress. Equipment is very scarce, for example, for more pro

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Government officials want to keep our people in complete darkness and ignorance. What community leaders do is bring information to our communities about what is happening. That is how our people are becoming empowered and demanding their rights. When the people demand their right

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Until now the issue of a mining law.... Well, yes, there is a mining law, but it goes against our interests. The law was drafted in congress, and some of the members of parliament are not members from the people. They should be since they're elected. We're the ones who vote them

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Of the eight consultations that have been carried out in municipalities, in the area that I represent, six of them went all the way to the constitutional court. That court said that the consultations are binding. This is something that helps us, because the constitutional court h

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  No.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  My contact was with a university, with Western University here in Canada.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Our neighbouring country is El Salvador, and there were five consultations carried out there. In Guatemala, we've held eight consultations. As I said, we have the municipal bylaws here, and then there's also the ILO convention 169, which establishes our right to consultation. It

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  No.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  No, I am here to talk about the experience we had in Guatemala. Our legal advisers could give far more information about that.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I would like to explain. The Xinca Parliament represents 13 communities: Jutiapa, Jalapa, Santa Rosa. Those are three departments. I am from the municipality of Quesada, which is being threatened, and there are two licences being granted: one for El Silencio, which is an reconnai

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  That's right, it's for future projects that are under way, because when a licence is approved for mining exploitation, we have to try to get ahead of it and have a consultation, because a mining company is not supposed to start operating before a consultation has taken place, but

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Good afternoon. My name is Aleisar Arana. I am from Quesada, in the department of Jutiapa in Guatemala. I am currently the president of the Xinca Parliament of the people of Guatemala. In 2012, I was also elected as president of the Xinca indigenous community of Quesada. In 2014