ISDS Case Map
Guatemala
Korea's trade ministry said that Guatemala has formally signed a deal to join Seoul's free trade agreement with a group of Central American nations.
Guatemala will join a free trade agreement (FTA) between South Korea and a group of Central American nations, Seoul's trade ministry said. Guatemala was initially among dialogue partners for the FTA, but it had stepped out during negotiations amid differences on tariff and country of origin related rules.
In a settlement agreement, Guatemala agreed to pay approximately US$46 million to Teco Holdings LLC, in order to conclude the investment arbitration that the company filed against Guatemala in November 2010.
Local resisters are calling for a different economic model — one that prioritizes clean water and soil, healthy communities, peace, dignity, and self-determination.
Israel and Guatemala on Thursday signed a free trade agreement that will include industry, food and agriculture goods, the Israeli Economy Ministry said.
However, locals feel latent tension that the imminent consultation process or the arbitration suit could revive earlier threats, violence, and legal persecution from company employees and contractors.
Mining companies are continuing to face political and community headwinds in Guatemala, as authorities push on with consultations needed to lift suspensions that have crippled the industry in recent years.
An attempted assassination, criminalization, and violent eviction in 2014 didn't stop the Peaceful Resistance of La Puya in Guatemala, which won legal action suspending harmful mining activities.
South Korea's trade ministry said it is currently under negotiations with Guatemala to invite the Central American country to a multilateral trade pact that fully went into effect this year.
El Tambor is a controversial gold mining project in Guatemala. After years of local protests and litigation, it was halted in 2016 for lack of prior consultation with Indigenous people.
