Guatemala

Relationship with New Zealand

New Zealand and Guatemala have a warm and positive relationship, with cooperation particularly in the areas of trade and development.  The New Zealand Embassy in Mexico City has been accredited to Guatemala since 1999.  The first New Zealand Honorary Consul in Guatemala, Mr Emmanuel Seidner, was appointed in December 2001.  The Guatemalan Ambassador in Tokyo has been accredited to New Zealand since March 2007.

Trade and economic links

New Zealand's trading relationship with Guatemala has been dominated by exports of dairy products, mainly milk powder. In the year to December 2007, New Zealand exports to Guatemala totaled NZ$33,654,000, of which NZ$32,639,000 were in the dairy sector. New Zealand imported NZ$2,288,000 of goods from Guatemala during the same period, of which coffee imports comprised NZ$1,613,000.

Political links

Multilateral links

New Zealand and Guatemala are both members of the United Nations (UN), the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Forum for East Asia – Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC) and the International Whaling Commission (IWC).  The closest working relationship between New Zealand and Guatemala has developed over shared membership of the Cairns Group of WTO member countries dedicated to the cause of agricultural trade liberalisation.  In the UN we cooperate on indigenous issues.

Development assistance

Following a review of New Zealand's official development assistance to Latin America, the New Zealand Government approved a strategy to guide its Latin America development programme until 2009.The programme is managed by the New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID) based in Wellington.

The programme focuses on three sub regions, one of which is Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua). The thematic focus for Central America is sustainable rural livelihoods. Key contributions have included those made to the World Food Programme in Guatemala (NZ$1,150,000 in June 2006 and NZ$500,000 in June 2007), as well as to the international relief effort in Guatemala following Tropical Storm Stan in 2005.

As part of the programme, Guatemalans are eligible for short term training awards.Under this programme, Rodrigo Rodas from the Guatemalan Unidad de Planificacion e Informacion, Departamento de Sistemas de Informacion, Estadisticas Forestales, received support to attend an international statistical conference on small and indigenous populations in Wellington, New Zealand in April 2005.

In addition to the development programme, assistance is given to El Salvador via two mechanisms, both managed from the Embassy in Mexico City. The first mechanism is the provision of up to two scholarships per year to Guatemalan postgraduate students to study in New Zealand. The second is a modest Head of Mission Fund [external link] which is available to assist small non-government organisation and community group development projects in Guatemala.

Visits

In January 2002 the then Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Hon hil Goff, visited Guatemala. The visit was historic as the first (and only) Ministerial-level bilateral visit between New Zealand and Guatemala. During his visit, Minister Goff opened the New Zealand Honorary Consulate, in addition to meeting with the Guatemalan Foreign Minister, Gabriel Orellana, Acting Economy Minister, Marco Antonio Ventura and Chief Justice, Carlos Alavez-Lobos. top of page

 

Key facts

Geography/Demography

Official Name - Republic of Guatemala
Land Area – 108,889 sq. km.
Population – 13.4 million (2007 estimate)
Capital City – Guatemala City
Religion – Roman Catholic, Evangelical Protestants
Official Language – Spanish, 24 indigenous languages (principally Kiche, Kaqchikel, Q'eqchi, and Mam)
Currency – Quetzal (GTQ)
Exchange Rate – GTQ 7.91 = US $1 (February 2009)

Politics

Political system – Democratic, universal adult suffrage
National government – Cabinet, headed and appointed by President
National legislature – Unicameral Congress of 158 members
Last election – September 2007 (presidential, congressional, municipal). Presidential second round November 2007.
Next election due – September 2011 (presidential, congressional, municipal).
Head of State – President Álvaro Colom Caballeros
Head of Government – President Álvaro Colom Caballeros  

Key Ministers –
Vice President:   Rafael Espada
Foreign Relations: Roger Haroldo Rodas Melgar
Agriculture:   Mario Aldana
Economy and Trade:  Rubén Morales

Main political parties –
Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza (UNE)
Gran Alianza Nacional (GANA)
Frente Republicano Guatemalteco (FRG)
Partido de Avanzada Nacional (PAN)

Economic 

GDP (nominal) –  US$42,533 million (2008 estimate)
GDP Per Capita (PPP) – US$6,071 (2008 estimate)
Real GDP Growth – 3.9% (2008 estimate)
Exports FOB – US$ 8,073 million (2008 estimate)
Imports FOB – US$12,623 million  

Main exports –
Coffee  
Bananas
Sugar
Crude oil     

Consumer Price Inflation – 11.4% (2008 estimation)
Gross external debt – US $6.0 billion (2008 estimate)
Current Account Balance – deficit of US -$2.1 billion (2008 estimate)
 

Source:  Economic Intelligence Unit

Trade with New Zealand

New Zealand/Guatemala top 20 trade figures are available from Statistics New Zealand.

New Zealand Exports (FOB)	NZ$ 23.3 million
Main Exports	Milk and cream   57%, Cheese and curd  18%
New Zealand Imports (CIF)	NZ$ 2.6 million
Main Imports	Coffee  70%, T-shirts 8%

Source:  Statistics New Zealand (year to December 2008)

 

Embassies

• The New Zealand Embassy in Mexico City is also responsible for Guatemala.
• The Guatemalan Embassy in Tokyo is also responsible for New Zealand.

 

Travel advice

The New Zealand Government safetravel website has comprehensive travel information including advice on the safety and security of travel to Guatemala.

Further enquiries may be directed to:

Consular Division

Tel: (0064 4) 439 8000
Fax: (0064 4) 439 8532
cons@mfat.govt.nz

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