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Polanco received the award during the Conference in memory of the victims of totalitarianism, which took place on August 23 at the Espacio Aguaribay. The previous day he had a two-hour meeting at the home of Graciela Fernández Meijide, former Secretary of the National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons (CONADEP). On Tuesday 22 Polanco also participated in a meeting with Norma Morandini, Ruben Chababo, Nelson Fernandez, Patricio Navia, Gabriel Salvia and Gustavo Meoño.
On Thursday 24, Polanco held a meeting in the morning at the Human Rights Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, with officials Florencia Segura, Emilia Vicente and Marina Mateos, and in the evening gave a talk on "Social and political situation in Guatemala: current events in human rights", organized by the Human Rights Commission and the Latin America and Regional Integration Commission of the Argentine Network of Professionals for Foreign Policy (REDAPPE).
Polanco completed his visit with meetings with Ariel Caniza and Verónica Torras of Memoria Abierta, visited the ESMA museum and the Parque de la Memoria, held a meeting with Horacio Pietragalla Corti, Secretary of Human Rights of the Nation, with Jorge Taiana, Minister of Defense and former Ambassador to Guatemala, with Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Nobel Peace Prize 1980, with Diego Morales of CELS, attended an activity at the UBA for the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, and held a meeting with experts on human rights; with Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Nobel Peace Prize 1980; with Diego Morales of CELS; attended an activity of the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo at the UBA, and held a meeting with human rights experts convened by Ana González. Finally, in his last meeting with Gabriel Salvia, General Director of CADAL, he had a telephone conversation with Librado Linares, the Cuban who won the Graciela Fernández Meijide Award for the defense of human rights in the activist category and who was prevented from traveling to Buenos Aires by the non-democratic government of his country.
Mario Polanco is Executive Director of Grupo de Apoyo Mutuo, a position he has held for 15 years since 2000, Professor at the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala and Universidad Galileo, consultant for international organizations, including the Oscar Arias Foundation and the United Nations Development Program. He is the author of the books "Forced Disappearance in Guatemala" and "Massacres in Guatemala". He is a graduate of the Faculty of Juridical and Social Sciences of the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala with a degree in Juridical and Social Sciences; graduate of the negotiation and conflict resolution course at Harvard University; Master in High Strategic Studies in Security and Defense, graduated from the Universidad Mariano Gálvez; and Doctor in Human Security graduated from the Faculty of Juridical and Social Sciences of the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala.
