PROFED-OSC (2000 – 2003)
The PROFED-OSC phase (2000-2003) invested US$ 4 million directly in projects implemented by 27 Guatemalan organizations and organized various training workshops, exchange and systematization. The program promoted a conceptual discussion on the topic of reconciliation, about strengthening of civil society and a series of documents were published by partners in the programme on the issue of indigenous rights and Mayan justice. Among the projects with high level of impact from this first phase are the formulation and promotion of the National Compensation Programme for victims of the armed conflict, which is now part of the national budget, the monitoring and questioning of military spending in times of peace, the successful initiation of the National Commission in Search of Missing Children and the strengthening of various indigenous legal defense units. Based on the positive experiences from PROFED-OSC, an external evaluation, and recommendations from the National CSO Encounter, the programme Civil Society Participation – PASOC was initiated in January 2004 in collaboration with the donors, simultaneously with the arrival to power of Oscar Berger.

PASOC I (2004 – 2006)
The cooperation agreement between Norway and PASOC was signed in December 2003, and the first call to present proposals was announced in October 2003. The programme was initiated the first week of January 2004, and a Selection Committee was activated with members from UN agencies, donors and representatives of civil society to examine 137 proposals received. In February 2004, PASOC signed contracts with 9 partners from PROFED-OSC, recognizing the convenience to continue the cooperation. In April 2004, an additional 18 contracts were signed as a result of the selection process, making a total of 27 projects in the programme. Of these, 10 were in the category Access to Justice, 8 in the category National Reconciliation and 9 in the category of Transparency. In April 2005, the second call for proposals was closed with the reception of 102 proposals. On this opportunity, the Government of Guatemala, by means of its General Planning Secretariat –SEGEPLAN– participated in the selection. Only 4 new projects were selected, the same number of projects that came to a close in 2005, leaving the programme with the same number of 27 active projects. During the implementation period, PASOC I organized workshops dedicated to judicial pluralism, social audit and political analysis.

In 2006, an external evaluation drew the conclusion that PASOC, by supporting and financing civil society initiatives, has made a valuable and important contribution to the process of democratisation in Guatemala. Soon after, its continuation was being secured through the commitment of Norway and Denmark to financially support PASOC in a second phase until 2010.

PASOC II (2007 – 2010)
In May 2007, PASOC II opened its call for proposals for a new round of collaboration with civil society organisations in Guatemala. More than 60 proposals were examined, of which 26 projects were chosen by the committee to participate in PASOC II. These local and national organisations are now receiving financial and methodological support for a period of one to two years, depending on each project.

Currently, the projects are concentrated in the departments of Chiquimula, Sololá, Alta Verapaz, San Marcos and Huehutenango and Guatemala, and may be extended to further parts of the country in the future. The declared aims of PASOC II are to create legal landmarks, to implement toolkits for lobbying organisations, and above all, to establish sustainable links between state institutions and civil society organisations. The major changes characterizing this phase of the UNDP program in contrast to the previous ones, is its emphasis on creating a stronger relationship between the Guatemalan State and its citizenry. Another change can be found in the programs’ commitment to tackle the issues of discrimination and racism in the country, which is famous for its ethnic diversity, social cleavages and inequality.