Symposium: Post-Genocidal Guatemala Between Impunity and Institutional Reconstruction - Day 1

Day One: Thursday, May 25

(Find information on Day Two here.)

This conference will examine the achievements and limitations of popular struggles against impunity and corruption in Guatemala, and the opposition of elites and criminal networks to Constitutional reforms necessary for the full implementation of the 1996 Peace Agreements.  Interdisciplinary panels of indigenous leaders, human rights activists, lawyers, academics and policymakers from Guatemala, Mexico, Colombia, Europe and United States will discuss progress and obstacles for transitional justice, the legal recognition of indigenous territorial rights, customary law and community referenda regarding extractive industries and hydroelectric projects.  We will analyze the dynamics of labor and environmental law, transnational migration, and the hybrid intersections of national and international law, which are crucial for political democratization and State reform in Guatemala.     

9:30am – Coffee and pastries

9:45am – Welcome and opening words

10:00am to 12:30pm – Panel: Derechos socio económicos I

12:30-1:15pm – Lunch (open to public)

1:30pm to 3:30pm – Panel: Derechos socio económicos II

3:30pm - Coffee Break

4:00pm to 6:00pm – Panel: Derechos socio políticos