Izabal

Zacapa

Chiquimula

Jalapa

Jutiapa

Guatemala

El Progreso

Sacatepéquez

Chimaltenango

Escuintla

Santa Rosa

Sololá

Totonicapán

Quetzaltenango

Suchitepéquez

Retalhuleu

San Marcos

Huehuetenango

Quiché

Baja Verapaz

Alta Verapaz

Petén

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Xinka Indigenous communities challenged the Escobal silver mining license on the grounds that the State failed to conduct Indigenous consultation prior to approval. The Constitutional Court suspended the license and ordered the State to conduct a consultation process, which remains ongoing.

River-dependent communities sought judicial protection of the Madre Vieja River, alleging pollution and over-extraction associated with large-scale agricultural operations and asserting that State authorities failed to enforce environmental and water-protection obligations. Courts issued orders and measures aimed at protecting access to water and reducing river degradation, shifting the dispute into an implementation phase focused on compliance and enforcement. The litigation is an example of climate rights-based water protection efforts in Guatemala in the context of increasing water scarcity and environmental stress.

Indigenous Q’eqchi’ community members challenged the authorization of two hydroelectric projects on the Cahabón River, alleging that the State approved the projects without conducting free, prior, and informed consultation. The Constitutional Court identified deficiencies in the consultation process but allowed the project licenses to remain in force subject to remedial consultation measures.

Environmental organizations and community members challenged the approval of the El Tambor (Progreso VII Derivada) mining project, alleging deficiencies in environmental licensing and the failure to conduct adequate public participation and consultation. Guatemalan courts granted amparo relief, ordering the suspension of mining operations and finding that the project had been authorized without compliance with constitutional and statutory environmental and participation requirements. The rulings required the State to remedy the licensing and consultation defects before the project could proceed, effectively halting mining activities.

Geography

Guatemala

Recent cases