Guatemala country strategic plan (2026–2030)

CSP approved at EB 1 2026 session

Guatemala is an upper-middle-income country and the largest economy in Central America. Despite achieving steady economic growth in recent years, the macroeconomic stability of Guatemala contrasts sharply with the country’s persistently high levels of poverty and inequality, which have remained largely unchanged over the past two decades and continue to drive structural development challenges.

Food security and nutrition are recognized as national development priorities and are firmly embedded within the country’s institutional and policy frameworks. These priorities are reflected in K’atun: Nuestra Guatemala 2032, the country’s national development plan, and form one of the strategic pillars of the Government’s general policy for 2024–2028. In this framework, the Government has committed to designing and implementing public policies and mechanisms that strengthen food security and nutrition, and to advancing the national social protection system in order to address poverty and all forms of malnutrition.

Despite that commitment, significant challenges persist. Nearly 60 percent of the population experiences moderate or severe food insecurity, and rates of chronic child malnutrition are among the highest in the world, with 47 percent of children under 5 affected. Food insecurity and malnutrition disproportionately affect Indigenous Peoples, rural populations, and women and girls. It is, moreover, estimated that 3 million people will require humanitarian assistance as a result of acute food insecurity between February and April 2026.

This country strategic plan is aimed at supporting the Government in addressing acute food insecurity, preventing malnutrition and strengthening institutional capacity in areas that include disaster risk management, emergency response, social protection and food systems. WFP will provide food assistance, technical support and on-demand services before, during and after crises. WFP will also strengthen the resilience of key local food system actors by improving their access to markets – including markets linked to national programmes, such as social protection and school meals programmes – and promoting diverse and healthy diets based on locally produced foods.

This country strategic plan is designed to achieve three integrated outcomes, which are aligned with the national priorities set out in K’atun: Nuestra Guatemala 2032 and the United Nations sustainable development cooperation framework for 2026–2030. 

• Outcome 1: By 2030, populations in Guatemala facing acute food insecurity and malnutrition risks from shocks and crises will have their urgent food and nutrition needs met, while benefiting from stronger disaster risk management and emergency response systems.
• Outcome 2: By 2030, people in Guatemala living in areas vulnerable to shocks, stressors, and food insecurity benefit from enhanced participation in sustainable food systems, which enables context-specific and nutrition-sensitive access to healthy diets and both public and private markets.
• Outcome 3: By 2030, public and private institutions and humanitarian actors in Guatemala receive services that enable them to achieve their programmatic objectives effectively and efficiently

WFP will work in close coordination with the Government and establish strategic and operational partnerships with national and local institutions, civil society and community-based organizations, the private sector and academia. These efforts will reinforce WFP’s exit strategies and support the planned handover of interventions while ensuring continuity and sustainability. Synergies will be actively pursued and joint initiatives will be developed in coordination with other United Nations entities.