The Peace Accords in Guatemala were the result of a long process of dialogue and conciliation between all the people of Guatemala, which was decisively accompanied by Spain and the international community, and which precisely had its origin in the Esquipulas Declaration - also commemorating its 35th anniversary this year - which paved the way for agreement between the countries in the region of Central America.
This peace contributed to bed down a representative democracy, which established a roadmap for the achievement and development of a fair and inclusive society through the eradication of the underlying structural causes of the origin of the conflict that had ravaged Guatemala and the region of Central America for decades, along with the recognition of the identity and rights of the indigenous people as an essential part of multi-ethnic Guatemalan society.
Some of these structural problems, including combating poverty and malnutrition, the fight against corruption and organised crime, the strengthening of institutions and the defence of human rights still require attention today.
To this end, Spain urges the people of Guatemala to continue progressing down the path of the values and principles of dialogue, negotiation and consensus that inspired the Peace Accords, with the aim of passing on the legacy of a more just and inclusive society to new generations, which will need to take on the responsibility of continuously building a free, just, prosperous and modern society in a peaceful Guatemala.
-NON OFFICIAL TRANSLATION-