Concluding observations on the combined fifth and sixth periodic reports of Guatemala

Standard of living
35. The Committee is seriously concerned about:

• (a) The forced evictions of indigenous peoples that have resulted from the persistent disputes over landownership and that have affected children in, among others, the Petén, Izabal and Alta Verapaz regions;
• (b) The high levels of multidimensional poverty and child poverty, and that social protection systems available to children are limited, in particular during early childhood and in terms of focus on indigenous children, children with disabilities and children living in rural areas;
• (c) The limited access to water and sanitation, particularly in rural areas.

36. The Committee draws attention to target 1.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals on implementing nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, and recommends that the State party:

• (a) Establish for public authorities’ the duty to consider the impact of forced evictions on children and ensure the implementation of resettlement plans and humanitarian assistance for the evicted communities of Laguna Larga, Chab’ ilch’ och, and La Cumbre;
• (b) Under the national development plan covering the period up to 2032, provide assistance for families with children to ensure a decent standard of living, and hold targeted consultations with families, children and organizations working in the field of children’s rights on the issue of child poverty;
• (c) Adopt a legal and policy framework for ensuring the enjoyment of the rights to drinking water and to sanitation, and ensure sanitation coverage and access to drinking water for rural communities.