In the foreground is the river with some branches sticking out. In the background is a hilly landscape completely covered with green trees. A photo of the first page of the statement from ACODET. On the left and right sides of document are circular stamps of approval from different Indigenous communities. This page of the statement reads: “The Association of Communities for the Development, Defense of Land and Natural Resources - ACODET - in their 16th general assembly, before public opinion declare: We the indigenous communities of Ixcan, Cobán and Uspantan that make up the association of communities for the development, defense of land and natural resources gathered in the community of La Libertad Xalarocjá in the municipality of Cobán, Alta Verapaz in the celebration of our sixteenth ordinary assembly, as it is customary to do year after year since the founding of our community organization. The member communities of ACODET express our hope to see that this government is listening to the needs of our communities and has opened spaces for dialogue with indigenous authorities throughout the country. But at the same time we express our concern for the political situation of our country, since the pact of corrupt people who have control of several institutions, mainly the MP and the judicial system, does not allow our country to advance in terms of democracy and development for the democracy and development for the indigenous communities that exist in any part of the country. The corrupt pact has plundered our country and has enriched itself at the expense of the Guatemalan people and they have made laws in their favor to leave in total impunity for all the acts they have committed. At present they refuse to accept their defeat and try to prevent any action for the benefit of the Guatemalan population. As communities settled along the banks of large rivers, threatened by hydroelectric construction, we see the need to review the national energy policy. The extractivist and neoliberal model has left the generation, transport, and distribution of electricity in the hands of communities without access to energy and does not promote national development. The big companies only take advantage of the water in our rivers without caring that we are left without water and the environmental damage they are causing, they break the community social fabric and produce extreme poverty in the communities, as is currently happening in Santa Maria. Guatemala produces twice as much energy as it consumes, approximately 4,000 MW, while the national demand is only 1,800 MW. The rest of the energy is sold to other countries, even though we have no electricity here. The construction of more dams only generates poverty, drought in the crops, land dispossession and…”