New photo exhibit unveiled at UN features changes in Guatemala

An image of a child studying his textbook and another of an elderly woman doffing her wide-brimmed hat after a day in the field were among the photos unveiled today as part of a new exhibit at United Nations Headquarters in New York featuring the transformation undergone by Guatemala in the eight years since the end of a bloody three-and-a-half decade civil war.

"Guatemala: Images of Peace," includes photos from the collection of the UN Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA), which was established to verify compliance with the Peace Agreements signed in 1996 by the Government of Guatemala and the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG). The Mission is scheduled to complete its mandate at the end of the year.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his wife, Nane, attended the opening, which was inaugurated by Guatemala's Ambassador to the United Nations, Gert Rosenthal, and UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast.

In his remarks, Mr. Annan noted how the photos show the journey Guatemala has taken in the eight years since the ceasefire there. "The journey to peace…began with the courage of Guatemalans themselves - the courage to sign a pioneering set of peace agreements, designed not just to secure a ceasefire, but to eradicate the root causes of the conflict," he said.

"And the journey has been made by Guatemalans themselves - with the United Nations being proud to lend a helping hand."

The exhibit will be on display in the UN General Assembly building Visitor's Lobby and run through 1 October.