Guatemala has been in political crisis since 2015, which has intensified at certain times, such as during the 2023 election crisis, when a large part of the population had to defend both their vote at the polls and the country’s fragile democracy. This crisis is caused by an alliance of groups – the so-called Pact of the Corrupt, who want to maintain privileges, corruption and impunity. These groups alleged electoral fraud without any evidence, further undermining the rule of law by criminalising and prosecuting journalists, human rights defenders, former magistrates and judges. In 2025, this crisis has worsened, with an attempt to overthrow the current government under the same unfounded argument that there was electoral fraud in 2023. In addition, the social crisis persists due to the lack of response by the State to the most needy population, mainly the indigenous population. Many leaders of civil society have been criminalised, prosecuted and even murdered for doing their job, including defending their territory.
The enabling environment for CSOs in the country has been severely impacted by the closure of USAID in early 2025. Similarly, there have been significant cuts by donors in general in the country. Added to this is the reform of the NGO Law in 2020, which was challenged by CSOs for undermining freedoms of expression and association in a number of appeals, resulting in only a partial injunction being granted by the Constitutional Court. It is also important to mention that the new draft CSO Law has already been approved by the NGO Commission. If approved, this would represent an improvement to the current situation, as it would return to the situation prior to the reforms. However, it would not constitute a strengthening of the enabling environment for CSOs.