Attachments
OVERALL PROGRESS
Context
According to the 2023 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) report, the context in Guatemala has undergone some changes in the political, legal, institutional, security, and governance landscape, as well as in the occurrence of new extreme climate events.
The report also highlights that, during 2022, the humanitarian needs of vulnerable people in Guatemala were presented in a context influenced by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic impacts of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Both exogenous factors have had a substantial impact on the country’s life dynamics, as the increase in prices of food, fuel and fertilizers have been hindering full recovery even in 2023.
In addition, during the first half of 2023, the first round of general elections was held to elect the president, vice president, Congress deputies and the Central American Parliament, mayors, and municipal corporations. A second round was held for the top two presidential candidates in August.
During the first half of 2023, violence continues to impact the population, disproportionately affecting women, girls and adolescents. According to data from the National Civil Police (PNC) and the National Forensic Institute (INACIF), homicidal violence in the country is related to gangs and drug trafficking.
During the first half of 2023, the most relevant issues generating humanitarian needs have been food and nutrition insecurity, human mobility, and disasters derived from hydrometeorological events.
Food and nutritional assistance needs are at their highest historical levels, according to the HNO. About 4.6 million people are experiencing food insecurity and are in need of immediate attention, mainly subsistence and below-subsistence level farming families, and families with minimal or no income. Around 1.9 million people have humanitarian needs related to acute malnutrition, including children under five years of age, women of childbearing age and pregnant women, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
According to the Epidemiological department of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS), during the first half of 2023, 98% of the registered cases of malnutrition were identified by anthropometry. The reporting of cases of acute malnutrition has shown an increase of 34% compared to those identified the previous year.
On the other hand, Guatemala is a country of origin, transit, destination, and return of people on the move, including refugees and asylum seekers, returnees, and people in transit, many of whom have specific protection needs.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) website, the number of Guatemalan returnees during the first half of 2023 is 37,149. This figure, as a whole, increases the risks and needs for protection and humanitarian response.