CONGCOOP emerged in late 1992 as an alliance of civil society actors with the shared goal to support the collective and organized return of refugees within the framework of a reintegration process to Guatemalan society, therefore addressing the urgent need to begin building a state of law in the Country. Since the signing of the Peace Accords in 1996, CONGCOOP has focused its activities towards fulfilling its comprehensive implementation, with a special focus on the subjects CONGCOOP addresses in its work.
Mission:
To consolidate a dialogue and coordination space that promotes equitable and sustainable development and helps strengthen peace and democracy, through participation and advocacy in policy-making.
Vision
We are a coordination of NGOs and Cooperatives, gaining strength from its internal articulation as a social actor, which promotes and coordinates development proposals to address equality and justice; and which participates in policy-making as an advocate in the framework of building a country that is multiethnic, multicultural and multilingual with gender equity and respect of the environment.
Objectives:
Our strategic thrusts in the work we do are, in brief:
Peace Accords implementation. This mainly focuses on the Agreement on Social and Economic Aspects and Agrarian Situation –(Acuerdo sobre Aspectos Socioeconómicos y Situación Agraria - ASESA)- with regard to access to land, economic and social rights, as well as monitoring of public spending, public investment and worker's situation in Guatemala.
Globalization. Analysis and proposals on the relationships production-trade-development (in its facets: political, economic, social and cultural) with emphasis on trade agreements’ effects and impacts on peasant economy, on migrations and on family remittances.
Citizen participation. Participate in and generate action for gendered citizen participation in development at local, regional, national and international levels, with the goal of influencing public policies and producing social auditing.
Socio-Productive Rural Development. Developing capacities so to increase living standards of people in a situation of exclusion that live in rural areas, starting from access to land up to diversification of livelihoods strategies.
Water and environment. Understanding the issues of water and environment both from the point of view of natural resources management (especially water resources), and from the view of environmental degradation and potential threats arising from the privatization of such services.
Human rights. Understanding them in their broadest sense, ranging from fundamental rights to economic, political, social, cultural and environmental.
Urban development. Emphasizing the search for solutions for urban dwellers living in vulnerable areas.
Monitoring of Public Policies. This must be understood as a cross-cutting theme, as all the abovementioned thrusts need constant monitoring.
Activities/Main areas of work:
CONGCOOP groups its activities in line with its thrusts through Programs of Work, which briefly are:
Research Institute of Agrarian and Rural Studies -IDEAR
Citizens’ Participation Program (includes Services to its Affiliates)
External Cooperation Program
Administration and Finance Program
Each program brings together actions and research projects that are national in scope and are curtailed to satisfy affiliates’ needs, as organizations rather than as individuals. Every year the General Assembly approves the operations for the following year.
Coverage:
Guatemala
Beneficiaries:
members of CONGCOOP and rural people more generally.
