CICIG (International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala)
Ban Ki-moon and CICIG Commissioner Dall’Anese
DPA spearheaded efforts by the United Nations to establish the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala ( CICIG ) in response to a request for assistance from the Government of Guatemala. Acting as an independent international body, CICIG aims to investigate illegal security groups and clandestine security organizations in Guatemala – criminal groups believed to have infiltrated state institutions, fostering impunity and undermining democratic gains in Guatemala since the end of the country's armed conflict in the 1990s. It represents an innovative initiative by the United Nations, together with a Member State, to strengthen the rule of law in a post-conflict country.
The Commission's mandate permits it to carry out independent investigations, to act as a complementary prosecutor and to recommend public policies to help fight the criminal groups that are the subject of its investigations.
CICIG's Commissioner is appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Agreement between the United Nations and the Government of Guatemala established an initial two-year mandate which was renewed in April 2009 and again in January 2011. Its current mandate runs through 4 September 2013.
On 6 September 2012, CICIG and a delegation of high-level officials of the Government of Guatemala presented at UN headquarters its road map to representatives of countries supporting Guatemala and its justice system. The Guatemalan delegation was headed by the country's Vice President and included the Presidents of Congress and the Supreme Court of Justice, the Minister of the Interior, the Deputy Foreign Minister and the Attorney General. The high-level and breadth of the Guatemalan delegation served to underscore the importance that Guatemala places on the work of CICIG. During the meeting, the Vice President expressed Guatemala's intention to seek an extension of CICIG's mandate.
Related Article
CICIG: Leaving its Imprint in Guatemala, February 2012