On July 4th, the Tenth High-Level Dialogue between the European Union and Mexico took place in Brussels (Belgium), preceded by the VIII Civil Society Seminar on Human Rights, which took place on July 1st.
This event was attended by the European External Action Service (EEAS), on behalf of the European Union, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), on behalf of the Mexican Government, and the participation of numerous Mexican and European civil society organizations, which promote and defend human rights in different territories.
Both the authorities and the organizations highlighted the importance of holding the 10th High-Level Dialogue and the need to commit to sustaining said space as it was not held in 2021, which meant a two-year break between Dialogues, in a complex context derived from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the seminar, the organizations made recommendations to different authorities to move towards an effective exercise of human rights and democracy, and in this sense, they reiterated the need to count on the presence of authorities from civil society throughout the Civil Society Seminar with the presence of institutions responsible for implementing the recommendations, that have up-to-date information on the problematic issues and have decision-making capacity to reach the conclusion of important agreements on human rights.
On the other hand, the Mexican organizations highlighted impunity as a transversal axis to the human rights crisis, as well as the criminalization and repression of human rights defenders, journalists and feminist groups, militarization, the increase in the disappearance of people and the forensic crisis, while European organizations highlighted the new European due diligence regulations and their concerns regarding the ratification of the EU-Mexico Global Agreement.
From civil society organizations it is positively highlighted that both the European Union and the Mexican Foreign Ministry recognized the work of human rights defenders, organizations and journalists, as a key element for democracy and the rule of law.
Similarly, the importance of the possible on-site visit in 2023 of the European Union’s special representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore, is recognized, as well as the commitment made by the Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, Martha Delgado Peralta, to hold meetings with authorities from different levels of government and different responsible institutions, in order to draw up a work route for the implementation of the recommendations offered throughout the High-Level Dialogue by the organizations.
Faced with the closure of communication channels that has been observed from public institutions in recent years, the organizations emphasize that as a result of this dialogue there is a proactive disposition, with recommendations, which should be translated into roadmaps for its implementation; hence, the monitoring and implementation of the recommendations must be made effective by the pertinent institutions of the European Union and the Mexican Government, to guarantee the effectiveness of said work spaces, with the real participation of civil society organizations as well as the affected populations.
Finally, the CSOs express their gratitude to the European Union so that through the representation of 13 Mexican and six European civil society organizations, participation in this meeting is guaranteed. We acknowledge the commitment of the European Union for its cooperation on Human Rights in Mexico.
SIGNED
Amnesty International Mexico
Article 19, Mexico
Fray Bartolome de Las Casas Center for Human Rights C.A.
Fray Matias de Cordova Human Rights Center C.A.
CIMAC, Communication and Information for Women C.A.
Consortium for Parliamentary Dialogue and Equity, Oaxaca Consortium
Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights (CMDPDH)
EQUIS Justice for Women
IDHEAS Strategic Litigation C.A.
IMDHD, Mexican Institute of Human Rights and Democracy C.A.
Institute of Studies of the Accusatory Criminal Process, C.A. (INEPPA)
Project on Organization, Development, Education and Research (PODER)
REDIM, Network for Children’s Rights in Mexico
National Network of Civil Organizations “All Rights for All” (Red TDT)
R3D, Network in Defense of Digital Rights
SWEfor, Swedish Movement for Peace
SERAPAZ, Services and Consulting for Peace, A.C.
SIPAZ, International Service for Peace
For more information in Spanish:
Boletín de prensa ( Bruselas 1-4 de julio de 2022)
Para más información de SIPAZ:
sipazen.wordpress.com 