PRESA HIDROELÉCTRICA DE SANTA RITA EN GUATEMALA

The Santa Rita hydroelectric project on the Dolores River in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, was registered under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in June 2014 despite strong opposition from local Q’eqchi’ communities. The document reports that the project violated the Guatemalan Agreement on Identity and Rights of Indigenous Peoples, ILO Convention 169, and CDM procedures by failing to conduct appropriate public consultations. This lack of consultation and the subsequent project development led to severe human rights abuses, including the alleged extrajudicial killings of seven people, including two children, and violent police repression against indigenous families in August 2014. The project is funded via the Latin Renewables Infrastructure Fund (LRIF), with investors including the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which contributed 15 million dollars, and the Swiss Investment Fund for Emerging Markets (SIFEM), which contributed approximately 7 million dollars. In October 2014, civil society organizations filed a formal complaint with the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) of the IFC, citing a lack of public consultation and the criminalization of opponents. The document uses this case to advocate for a human rights-based strategy in the 2015 climate agreement, noting that climate actions must respect and protect human rights.

• The Santa Rita hydroelectric project was registered under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in June 2014, despite failing to meet the requirement for prior consultation with affected indigenous peoples as mandated by the Guatemalan Agreement on Identity and Rights of Indigenous Peoples, ILO Convention 169, and CDM procedures.
• The project's development has been linked to severe human rights violations and violence, including the alleged deaths of seven people, including two children aged 11 and 13, and a police operation in August 2014 involving over 1,500 officers that targeted Q’eqchi’ communities in Cobán, Chisec, and Raxruhá.
• The project is financed through the Latin Renewables Infrastructure Fund (LRIF), with significant investments from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) totaling 15 million dollars and the Swiss Investment Fund for Emerging Markets (SIFEM) totaling approximately 7 million dollars.
• In October 2014, a formal complaint was submitted to the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) of the IFC, alleging that the project violated IFC performance standards regarding indigenous populations, specifically citing the lack of appropriate public consultation and the government's criminalization of project opponents.

APA

Carbon Market Watch (n.d.). PRESA HIDROELÉCTRICA DE SANTA RITA EN GUATEMALA. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Fact-Sheet-FINAL-ESP.pdf

Chicago

Carbon Market Watch. PRESA HIDROELÉCTRICA DE SANTA RITA EN GUATEMALA. n.d. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Fact-Sheet-FINAL-ESP.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Carbon Market Watch |title=PRESA HIDROELÉCTRICA DE SANTA RITA EN GUATEMALA |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Fact-Sheet-FINAL-ESP.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{carbonmarketwatchndpresa, author = {{Carbon Market Watch}}, title = {{PRESA HIDROELÉCTRICA DE SANTA RITA EN GUATEMALA}}, institution = {Carbon Market Watch}, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Fact-Sheet-FINAL-ESP.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }