Guatemala: Monitoring the Humanitarian Response - Bulletin n° 1 | January - April 2023

Key Figures

115,000 PEOPLE REACHED APPROXIMATELY

20,520 children with improved educational conditions from the refurbishment of 117 school centres.

22,185 people benefited from 5,773 cash transfers from the Food Security sector

72,390 people benefited from the rehabilitation of health services in 24 departments of Alta Verapaz,
Petén and Izabal and the installation of two temporary emergency care modules.

Update on the situation and progress

For the second consecutive year, the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) launched a Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) to respond to the most urgent needs of Guatemalans. The strategy and response activities were drafted jointly with sector counterparts from government institutions. The HRP aims at responding to needs resulting from shocks in the Food Security and Nutrition Sector (INSAN), human mobility, and remnants from the impact of tropical storms Eta/Iota and Julia.

INSAN continues to be a priority for humanitarian action, especially in this period of seasonal hunger where there is less income from farming and the harvest of basic “staple” grains is not yet available.

Furthermore, El Niño forecasts for the region indicate no improvement in agricultural productivity. FAO’s price report revealed that the price of black beans has increased throughout the country, especially in the northern region – with an increase of Q100 per quintal.

Human Mobility also has a significant humanitarian impact in the country. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) predicts that the expiration of Title 42 on 12 May 2023 could lead to an increase in mixed flows, due to disinformation campaigns by trafficking networks stating that the US border is open. As border controls tighten, more people will attempt to traverse through the “blind spots” with an increase in protection risks, including extortion, sexual violence and homicide.

The HCT has activated monitoring and alert mechanisms given the worsening food insecurity, severe acute malnutrition and the massive increase in mixed flows of human mobility, both in transit from south to north and in return from north to south.