President Alejandro Giammattei, while confering him with the order, recalled that Carranza arrived in Guatemala in 2013 and since that date accompanied the State in the promotion of education, culture, support for peace and youth, as well as the protection of cultural heritage and strategies to reduce poverty.

“It is a great pleasure to grant him this order, because it represents gratitude for his excellent work as a friend of our country”, the president pointed out.

I hope that the sincere gratitude with which I pronounce these words to humbly receive the order is perceptible, Julio Carranza admitted.

“When I received the news, believe me it was a very pleasant surprise, because not for a moment did I believe I would receive this distinction. It took me a few minutes to understand what it was all about because of my 25 years at Unesco, nine were in Guatemala, a great privilege,” he said.

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