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Did You Know?
> Guatemala has the most unequal land distribution in the Western Hemisphere, with large landholders who comprise only 2% of the population possessing 70% of the productive lands. > Attacks against human rights defenders in Guatemala increased between 2004 and 2005. In 2005, El Movimiento Nacional por los Derechos Humanos documented 224 attacks against human rights defenders, in comparison with 122 attacks in 2004. > On March 30, 2006, the 11th anniversary of the signing of the indigenous accord, tens of thousands of workers, farmers and indigenous people marched in Guatemala City to demand the strengthening of indigenous rights, restriction of open pit mining licenses, and funds for the Ministry of Agriculture to purchase land for redistribution. | |
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2006 NISGUA Speaking Tour
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Genaro Fabian Gregorio
Genaro Fabián Gregorio works with the Pastoral
Social office of the Ixcán. A teacher and
investigator, Genaro is originally from a small
highland town that was destroyed in a landslide in
1967. At the age of 12, he emigrated with his family in
search of land and a new life in the fertile Ixcán
region of northwestern Guatemala. In the 1980s, as the
army stepped up its massacres, the Fabián Gregorio
family once again lost their home and livelihood. They
fled into hiding in the jungle and joined the
Communities of Population in Resistance (CPRs), groups
of displaced families who actively resisted military
control. Genaro was at the forefront of the CPRs’
struggles to be recognized as a civilian population and
achieve land. He is one of the founders of Primavera of
the Ixcán, a cooperative of former CPR members. Though
his formal education was interrupted repeatedly in his
childhood, Genaro went back to school and will soon
receive his teaching degree from the University of San
Carlos.
The Pastoral Social office of the Ixcán is a progressive organization within the Catholic Church that promotes social justice, equitable development, and respect for the environment. Since 1999, Genaro has coordinated the educational component, organizing workshops and teaching tools around themes such as community organization, human rights, social analysis and investigation, regional political participation, and gender equality. He has been involved in committees and conferences on free trade, development, and citizens’ participation.
Genaro will speak about the highly controversial Xalalá hydroelectric dam, which threatens to displace communities and disrupt the ecosystem, yet remains shrouded in secrecy. He will also describe the series of regional corporate-driven megaprojects included in the Plan Puebla-Panama (PPP) and their likely impacts on society.
Genaro's Presentation (10 MB, PDF file)
Tour Action:
Show your opposition to the Genaro will speak about the highly controversial Xalalá hydroelectric dam! Print out the letter, sign it and send it to the Guatemalan Electrical Institute (INDE)
Related info:
Video on the people, resources and politics of the Ixcán
Presentation on hydroelectric dams in the Ixcán (In Spanish - PDF, 1MB)
Communities of Population in Resistance
Tour Stops:
Oct. 30-31: Washington, DC
Nov. 1: Baltimore, MD
Nov. 2-3: Philadelphia, PA
Nov. 4: New York City
Nov. 6: Albany, NY
Nov. 7-9: New Hampshire
Nov. 10-16: Boston, MA
Nov. 13: New Haven, CT
For more information about the tour, email andrew[at]nisgua.org or call us at (202) 518-7638.
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© 2006 Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala