United Nations General Assembly Resolution 53/93

Fifty-third session Agenda item 44

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 52/175 of 18 December 1997, in which it decided to authorize the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala from 1 April to 31 December 1998,

Taking into account the note by the Secretary-General transmitting the eighth report on human rights of the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala,

Taking into account also the second and third reports of the Secretary-General on implementation of the Guatemala peace agreements,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Mission and the recommendations therein, which are aimed at improving its capacity to respond adequately to the demands of the verification process until 31 December 1999,

Encouraged by the progress and continued efforts of the parties and sectors of Guatemalan society in support of the peace agreements,

Stressing the role played by the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala in support of the Guatemala peace process, and acknowledging the support given to it by the Government of Guatemala and the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca,

Acknowledging the support of the international community for the programmes and projects deriving from the peace agreements,

Recalling the request of the parties that the duration of the mandate of the Mission should be the same as that of the Implementation, Compliance and Verification Timetable for the Peace Agreements, namely four years, from 1997 to 2000,

1. Takes note with satisfaction of the second and the third reports of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the Guatemala peace agreements;

2. Takes note of the eighth report on human rights of the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala;

3. Welcomes the progress made to date in implementing the peace agreements, in particular the recently adopted constitutional reforms, and stresses the need to ensure their broad acceptance in the upcoming referendum, through enhanced mechanisms of voter registration, to allow the widest participation possible;

4. Underscores the importance of further complying with the commitments set out in the peace agreements, particularly on issues identified as priorities, namely, the need to increase fiscal resources for the consolidation of the peace process, and to address the areas of land and justice;

5. Calls upon the parties to implement fully the commitments they entered into in the Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights and those in the other peace agreements, in particular those contained in the third phase (1998–2000) of the Implementation, Compliance and Verification Timetable for the Peace Agreements;

6. Urges the parties and all sectors of Guatemalan society to remain committed to the goals of the peace agreements, particularly during the electoral period, and to strengthen further the efforts towards consensus-building, reconciliation and development, with particular attention to the most vulnerable sectors of society;

7. Invites the international community to continue its support for peace-related activities in Guatemala, inter alia, through voluntary contributions to the Trust Fund for the Guatemala peace process established by the Secretary-General;

8. Decides to authorize the renewal of the mandate of the Mission from 1 January to 31 December 1999;

9. Requests the Secretary-General to submit an updated report to the General Assembly at its fiftyfourth session, with his recommendations with regard to the Mission after 31 December 1999;

10. Also requests the Secretary-General to keep the General Assembly fully informed of the implementation of the present resolution.

81st plenary meeting

7 December 1998