The Heinrich Böll Foundation works in Mexico and the Caribbean on resource policy, energy and socio-ecological transformation as well as democracy, security and digital rights.
The Heinrich Böll Foundation is making a contribution to strengthening democratic structures in Mexico and the Caribbean, promoting debates and analyzes on resource and climate policy, human rights and gender equality as well as the challenges of the digital society.
In this framework, we primarily promote regional and international dialogue between civil society organizations, academics, and government institutions, publish studies and analyzes.
Our four major topics are:
Natural resources, energy, and socio-ecological transformation
For Mexico as an oil-producing nation, the challenges of pursuing a sustainable resource policy are huge. The intensively pursued extractivism in recent years such as mining or fracking endangers soil and water and represents a significant health burden for the population. The development promises of companies and the (few) newly created jobs are often in conflict with a resource-saving use of raw materials and Compliance with labor and human rights.
Renewable energy projects also involve numerous human rights violations. Consultation processes with the local population - as required by the ILO Convention 169 - often do not take place or are merely fictitious. Moreover, those affected are excluded from the profits.
The Heinrich Böll Foundation is involved in regional debates in order to draw attention, together with civil society organizations, to political contradictions, social, environmental and climate costs as well as gender aspects, thereby contributing to social awareness of the need for socio-ecological transformation.
In addition to selective cooperation with various activists and civil society organizations, the Foundation works mainly with the following partner organizations:
- Equidad de Género
- Mujer y Medio Ambiente AC
- Grupo ETC (Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration)
- Alianza Mexicana contra el Fracking
- Tlachinollan Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña
- Centro de Derecho Ambiental (Cemda)
- REMA (Red Mexicana de Afectados por la Minería)
Democracy, security, and digital rights
At the latest since the disappearance of the 43 students of the Ayotzinapa Pedagogical University in 2014, it has become clear that Mexico is in a serious human rights crisis. Murder numbers and the number of femicides continue to be very high. Directly relevant to the work of the foundation is the increasing criminalization of social protests, i.a. by human rights defenders and environmental activists. Journalists are still severely affected by violence. 98 percent of all crimes remain unpunished.
Mexico is a country with extremely weak institutions and a big discrepancy between formal political rules and everyday politics. Organized crime has a direct influence on policymaking.
The focus of our activities in this context is the critical analysis of state security policy. We promote the exchange of civil society initiatives that work on (re) building social networks and lay the foundation for building democratic structures.
Sexual diversity legislation tends to be progressive in Mexico, but there is still a large gap between the legislation and the reality of the people concerned. In this context, our Mexico office supports partner organizations working for sexual and reproductive rights.
The digital world is now playing a key role in Mexico. The Internet has created new journalism that provides alternative information and perspectives. On the one hand, social networks are instruments for actors, but they also create space for violence and crime. On the e_TICS digital platform, we debate the opportunities and risks of the digital society and discuss topics such as violence against women on the Internet.
Important partners in the area of democracy, security and digital rights in Mexico are:
- Centro Pro Derechos Humanos Miguel Agustín Juárez (Centro PRODH)
- Instituto Mexicano de Derechos Humanos y Democracia A.C. (IMDHD)
- CIMAC (Comunicación e Información de la Mujer)
- El Poder del Consumidor, A.C.
Dialogue and new challenges
Although the work of the Heinrich Böll Foundation always refers to the respective political context of the region and the national and local debates, we also want to take up issues that go beyond the immediate political, and local context and are more of conceptual and paradigmatic nature. The aim is to develop an interdisciplinary and methodologically diverse analysis
Office Mexico City - Mexico, the Caribbeans
Director:
Florian Huber
Contact:
Fundación Heinrich Böll
Calle José Alvarado 12
Colonia Roma Norte
Delegación Cuauhtémoc
CP 06760 Ciudad de México
Fon: +52-55-5264 1514
Fax: +52-55-5264 2894
E-Mail: mx-info@mx.boell.org
- Website
- Twitter: @boell_mxca
- Facebook: @boellmxca