Photo: Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo holds Governmental Agreement 198-2026, the Public Policy for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, November 13, 2025. Photo by PBI-Guatemala.
On November 13, 2025, Peace Brigades International-Guatemala attended the ceremony in which Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo presented the Public Policy for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders.
PBI-Guatemala has explained: “The protection instrument aims to cover activists, authorities, indigenous leaders, justice operators, women, journalists, community media professionals, and public officials, provided that their actions are peaceful and promote human rights.”
‘A victory for the family of Florentín Gudiel Ramos’
Human rights defender Florentín Gudiel was murdered on December 20, 2004.
PBI-Guatemala has previously explained: “In 2012, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) brought the Gudiel case before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACrtHR) because the State of Guatemala failed to comply with the recommendations contained in its Merits Report on the case. Two years later, in 2014, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued a ruling that included recommendations, one of which was the creation of a public policy.”
Photo: A large banner of Florentín Gudiel at the ceremony where President Arevalo announced the Public Policy, November 13, 2025.
‘We urge you to continue moving forward’
In their social media post at that time, PBI-Guatemala quoted the Unit for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, Guatemala (UDEFEGUA) that commented: “Public Policy is the first step, we urge you to continue moving forward.”
‘Expedite the operationalization’: UN working group
In August 2026, United Nations (UN) Working Group on Business and Human Rights commented in its “end of mission statement” after its 10-day visit to Guatemala: “We welcome recent efforts by the Government to address business-related human rights impacts, including the adoption of the Public Policy for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (2025-2035)… The Working Group calls on the Government to expedite the operationalization of the new policy on defenders and to ensure that the associated protection mechanism is provided with adequate resources, technical capacity, and institutional support.”
‘A lack of decisive State action to curb attacks’
Now, one year after the Public Policy was presented, PBI-Guatemala has shared on social media a statement from UDEFEGUA.
UDEFEGUA notes that the “Public Policy for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders” was instituted by Governmental Agreement 198-2026, on November 13, 2025, in compliance with the judgment of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights judgement on ‘Human Rights Defender and Others v. Guatemala’ (2014).
UDEFEGUA cautions: “Since the policy’s adoption, UDEFEGUA has documented nine murders of human rights defenders—most notably affecting those working in journalism and the defense of land, territory, and the environment.”
“To date, efforts have been limited to awareness-raising initiatives involving government officials and the human rights defender community; meanwhile, key implementation indicators remain unaddressed, and the formal coordination mechanisms have yet to be established.”
It highlights: “One year later, UDEFEGUA notes with concern that there has been a lack of decisive state action to curb these attacks. …The continued absence of decisive State action leaves those who defend human rights at ongoing risk.”
Protection mechanisms
Peace Brigades International has been monitoring the protection mechanisms for human rights defenders in Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico:
–PBI-Canada welcomes United Steelworkers report on strengthening Protection Mechanisms for trade unionists in Mexico (PBI-Canada, October 2, 2026)
–The work continues one year after PBI-Mexico and Espacio OSC visited Ottawa to strengthen the Protection Mechanism for human rights defenders and journalists (PBI-Canada, September 20, 2026)
–PBI-Honduras video includes call from the Arcoíris LGTB Association of Honduras to decentralize the Protection Mechanism (PBI-Canada, March 26, 2026)
–Colombian environmental defender Jani Silva continues to face threats, highlights need to improve Protection Mechanism (PBI-Canada, December 8, 2025)
–PBI-Guatemala attends the presentation of new public policy for the protection of human rights defenders (PBI-Canada, November 14, 2025)
–Canada calls on Honduras to strengthen its Protection Mechanism for human rights defenders at UPR intervention at the UN in Geneva (PBI-Canada, November 12, 2025).
We continue to follow this.
