E/CN.4/1998/79
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(j)
Guatemala
99.
The information supplied by the Government of Guatemala in reply to the
Special Rapporteur's request concerns the action taken in Guatemala since the
peace negotiations, which led on 29 December 1996 to the signature by the
Government of the Republic and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union of
the Accord for a Firm and Lasting Peace.
100. The first part of the report covers the historical background to the
neglect suffered by the indigenous peoples of Guatemala until the Accord on
the Rights and Identity of Indigenous People was signed.
101. The second part concerns the main features of the Accord, including
action to end the discrimination that still exists, legally and in fact, in
Guatemala. It also covers the commitments made by the Government to eliminate
such behaviour, which is flatly contrary to the fundamental rights of the
indigenous peoples, in the future.
102. The third part of the report covers progress in the implementation of
the Accord, which is still very limited because of the recentness of the
Accord and the size of the tasks it entails.
Special Rapporteur's observations
103. The Special Rapporteur welcomes this important Accord safeguarding
peace, human rights and non-discrimination in Guatemala. The very interesting
report is available at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The Special Rapporteur would like to be kept regularly informed of how the
situation develops, in accordance with his mandate, so that he can report to
the Commission on Human Rights.
104. In conclusion, the Special Rapporteur would like to urge all member
States to communicate to him, with a view to the constitution of a corpus, all
the legislation (constitutional provisions, laws, regulations etc.) they have
passed against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and anti-Semitism,
in anticipation of the World Conference on Racism, Racial Discrimination,
Xenophobia and related Intolerance.
VIII.
IMPLEMENTATION OF RESOLUTION 1997/74 ON RACISM, RACIAL
DISCRIMINATION, XENOPHOBIA AND RELATED INTOLERANCE
105. In part IV, paragraph 37, of resolution 1997/74 of 18 April 1997,
entitled “Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial
discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and follow-up to his
visits”, the Commission on Human Rights requests the Special Rapporteur to
include in his report to the Commission at its fifty-fourth session, under the
same agenda item, a “comprehensive analysis of the implementation of this
section of the present resolution”.
A.
Persisting difficulties in the execution of the mandate
106. The lack of both staff and material resources has somewhat hampered the
Special Rapporteur's actions. From this point of view, resolution 1997/74
has produced no effect on either the Office of the High Commissioner or the