UN Women

Agenda: Cracking the glass ceiling; A way to Generation equality

(Thank you, chair for recognition) Honourable chair and fellow delegates,
Opening statement: This is a harsh reminder that today, in the 21st century, there is still
an urgent need to build equality between men and women, equality to live free of
violence and discrimination. Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in
Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, Guatemala is a country where
women still do not participate widely in decision-making processes and have limited economic
opportunities. Moreover, high levels of structural violence against women persist. This
situation has been a continuum in the history of Guatemala and gender violence was
perpetuated as a tool of submission and control on women’s bodies and lives, But Guatemala
is encouraged by the work that thousands of women organizations, governments and UN
agencies are developing. And the results are promising but it does not stop here. Let us work
together to ensure that we keep our promise and women are not at risk, just because they are
women, The Generation Equality demands equal pay, equal sharing and equal participation in
political life and decision-making in all areas of life. The Delegate of Guatemala believes and
hence proved that the united nations assembly should work together and do a bit towards the
resolution of the Women’s rights and equality, The delegate hopes for a fruitful and
constructive debate in order to solve the issues at hand today.1

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https://www.unwomen.org/en/get-involved/beijing-plus-25/about
Motions:
The Delegate of Guatemala would like to raise a motion for a mod caucus for 10 min with each
speaker time 2 min………………………………………………………..motion……………….

1.“Gender-Motivated Killings of Women, Including Femicide”

Gender-motivated killings of women occur everywhere, in every country and culture of the world. It
is an issue of universal human rights and inherent human dignity that concerns us all, involves us all,
and requires concerted and urgent action from all of us.

The global extent of femicide is estimated at approximately 66,000 victims per year for the period
between 2004 and 2009. This represents about almost one-fifth of all homicide victims for an
average year.

This impunity sends a message to society that violence against women by men is not only tolerated,
but accepted.

And today, in many countries, we find that impunity is too often the norm, rather than the
exception.

It is the obligation of States, as guarantors of the rights of all people, to punish the perpetrators of
violence against women and girls and provide services, support and justice to survivors and their
families. Today, 160 countries have laws to address violence against women.

Yet all too often the women and girls subjected to violence are violated twice –the first time when
they are subjected to violence, and the second time when they seek, and do not find, the services
and justice to which they are entitled.

2.Role of international organizations in tackling gender equality?

UN Women Guatemala’s Program is aligned with UN Women’s Global Strategic Plan 2014-2017 and
UNDAF Guatemala 2015-2019, as well as the legal and public policy framework for Guatemala,
especially the National Policy for the Promotion and Comprehensive Development of Women –
PNPDIM 2008 – 2023 – National Development Plan K’atun: Our Guatemala 2032.2The general
objective of these organisations is to guarantee women’s rights through empowerment, facilitating
their participation and to reap benefits from the national development process. The program aims
to strengthen national capacities to comply with institutional obligations regarding the rights of
women, in line with international conventions and standards. It will also support coordination and

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https://lac.unwomen.org/en/donde-estamos/guatemala
develop partnerships among the different women’s organizations in order to dialogue with the
government, adopt laws and implement public policies in favour of women’s empowerment and
gender equality, particularly indigenous women and women living in rural areas, supporting the
generation of knowledge and giving technical assistance. The Joint Programme on Strengthening the
Institutional Environment for the Advancement of Women in Guatemala (the Programme) has
strengthened the Office for the Defense of Indigenous Women (DEMI) and the Presidential
Secretariat for Women (SEPREM), both at the national and local level, by promoting multi-sectoral
and inter-agency cooperation, as well as activities with different levels of government and civil
society. The Programme progress was made in the implementation of gender policies, in services
provided for survivors of gender-based violence and for the empowerment of women in
decision-making processes. Departmental Delegations of DEMI and SEPREM supported by the
Programme have influenced the national planning and budgeting processes with a focus on women’s
rights (mainly indigenous women).

3.How can the media play a role in promoting women’s rights and gender equality?

Media today, from traditional legacy media to online media, still hugely influence our perceptions
and ideas about the role of girls and women in society. What we have unfortunately seen until now
is that the media tend to perpetuate gender inequality. Research shows that from a young age,
children are influenced by the gendered stereotypes that media present to them. Media plays a very
important role in our daily life. Media helps form our social values. Partnering with private sector
organizations, UN Women has been promoting the use of media, especially social media, as a powerful tool
to advocate for elimination of violence against women and promote gender equality. The Media provides
some of the main sources of information of citizens in Latin America. According to the Latin Barometer
(2009), 84% of the citizens receive information through TV, 55% through radio and 37% through written
press.

This scenario and the role of media in the political, social and economic life in every society, make it
essential for the media to integrate gender perspectives into their content, structures and policies.

A positive change is taking place in Guatemala: the media is showcasing women from a positive
perspective in the economic, social and political sphere. In Collaboration with UN Women, the
Guatemala media is playing an essential role, as sounding boards and carrier of women’s voices in
many sectors. Ultimately, the media has the power to minimize or maximize any sector of the
society.

From this perspective, both the space and quality of content in the news coverage addressing the
status of women is valued and recognized as a contribution. It showcases the progress and
challenges of women’s economic empowerment, prevention of violence against women, women’s
political participation, and women as peacemakers.

The strategic media approach of UN Women Guatemala to advocate for women and echo women’s
voices at local level has led to the development of partnerships with several mass media actors. UN
Women has become a local reference and a credible source of information on women’s rights and
gender issues.

The positioning of UN Women in Guatemala has grown strong and its outreach potential increases
every year. Partnerships have been established with digital media, radio, television and written
press.

4.Sex trafficking in Guatemala:

1. Only four percent of human trafficking victims in Guatemala are actually Guatemalan citizens,
meaning that about 96 percent of the people who are trafficked in Guatemala are not native
Guatemalans. Of the approximately 50,000 sex trafficking victims reported in Guatemala, almost 60
percent are children. It is very common to see girls as young as 12 years old working in brothels and
being forced to have sex with upwards of 30 customers a day. In some cases, traffickers can be found
at schools where they recruit virgin schoolgirls to partake in such acts. With the high number of
children being sold for sex trafficking, the revenue is equivalent to 2.7 percent of Guatemala’s gross
domestic product (GDP).
2. Along with young children, women are also at higher risk for victimization. According to the
International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CIGIG), women make up 64 percent of
victims, of which several are little girls as young as eight years old. Because there is often a higher
demand and willingness to pay more money for specific traits in girls such as virginity, traffickers
must often target younger women.
3. Although efforts are being made to stop human trafficking, only about three percent of cases
are detected every year. Additionally, there are only two prosecutors country-wide who are working
solely on sex trafficking cases. Because of this, human trafficking convictions in Guatemala are
extremely low.
5. Societal and cultural discrimination in women of guatemala

While gender equality in Guatemala has improved in recent years, male hegemony still strongly
characterizes the culture, particularly in rural areas.

Men typically manage the material, social and political resources and make the decisions. In rural
Guatemala, domestic tasks are considered to be women’s primary responsibilities and take
precedence over income-generating activities. Women often have low levels of education and rural
areas offer them very few formal employment opportunities. If rural women do work on their family
farms, they do not get paid nor do they get any recognition for the work they do as farmers. As men
are increasingly migrating elsewhere, women are now beginning to gain more recognition as
farmers; although they still face discrimination, such as lower pay. Cultural perceptions also
discourage women’s participation in farmer groups and cooperatives. Which makes it difficult for
them to obtain credit and undermines their decision-making power. “It is no secret that rural women
in Guatemala face multiple challenges in many aspects of their life, not least of which are limited
access to land, training and credit. They also have difficulty finding decent employment
opportunities due to the multiple forms of discrimination they encounter based on their gender,
socio-economic status and the geographic area where they live,”

6.Problems faced by women's and girls due to lack infrastructure and education in guatemala:

In terms of human capital, Guatemala lags behind in an increasingly global economy. In its Human
Capital Index, the World Economic Forum ranked Guatemala as number 94 out of 130 economies.
Although a multifaceted concept, learning has a significant role in building human capital, as
education –including enrollment, quality and attainment— impacts the future of the labor force.
Education in Guatemala has become increasingly accessible, with greater coverage. However, low
levels of literacy, attainment and retention remain fundamental problems. Further, the country
exhibits great disparities between urban and rural populations, among indigenous and Ladino
groups, and between male and female students. These challenges have negative impacts in terms of
the country’s human a. One in ten Guatemalans is illiterate; b. Only half of the population has a
primary education, and demonstrate difficulty doing multiplication problems and writing short
sentences; c. One fifth are able to attend secondary school, but have only remedial knowledge of
algebra or composition, and, at most, are able to multiply; d. Less than a tenth of the labor force
holds a university degree or higher. Very low levels of human capital have important implications for
economic growth, wages and the presence of a significant informal sector.
1. Although a lack of education can lead people to become prey to human traffickers, becoming
more educated can help survivors overcome the trauma they have undergone. Not only does
education help victims but it can also prevent people from becoming victims by raising awareness of
the problem and providing them with solutions to avoid being trafficked. Education can also help
young people develop a skill or interest after the fact, in order to help them move on and lead a
normal life.

GSL: Guatemala is a country where women still do not participate widely in

decision-making processes and have limited economic opportunities.
Moreover, high levels of structural violence against women persist. In this
context, the institutions devoted to women’s empowerment have historically
had limited capacity for implementation and monitoring of existing gender
policies, which is further challenged due to their weak presence at
departmental level. Although in recent years significant changes have been
promoted by municipal legislation, Guatemala remains a highly centralized
country.While gender equality in Guatemala has improved in recent years,
male hegemony still strongly characterizes the culture, particularly in rural
areas. Further requests the native countries to support and provide the
women of developing nations with their basic needs and rights.We need an
accountability framework that ensures that we all live up to the global
commitments that we have made.Burying our head in the sand and ignoring
the issues faced by women and girls is no longer an option. The first step
towards a more empathetic world is being willing to pay attention to the
suffering of our fellow passengers on spaceship Earth.
Political participation of Women: In Guatemala, women are underrepresented in
politics and face significant barriers to entry in the political arena, including
discrimination and violence. Although women comprise 51 percent of the
population, they only hold 15 percent, or 24 out of 158, of the seats in congress. we
find ourselves with a level of female participation that still remains fragile. However,
the entire outlook is not bleak: more and more women turn out to vote at the polls
and many of them participate in electoral committees or as vote collectors and
election observers, which is promising. Guatemala launched the awareness
campaign “Register, Vote and Participate”.This campaign was conceived to make
visible the current situation and condition of women in Guatemala in regards to
their political participation and representation at all levels, and was developed to
promote the registration of women on the electoral roll and their active
participation during the voting process.However, women still have enormous
challenges to face in order to participate, exercise their rights and ensure that they
are respected. The participation of women promotes an equitable and inclusive
culture that contributes to and improves living conditions, such that, in order to
have active participation it is necessary that they work together and put their
knowledge in practice so as to have a role in the development process.