Mexican International Agency aligning Development Plans with 2030 Agenda

Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The eighth regular meeting of the AMEXCID [Mexican International Cooperation for Development Agency] Consultative Council took place on April 26 at the Foreign Ministry, chaired by Foreign Secretary Claudia Ruiz Massieu. The 2015 annual report was presented, and the prospects of aligning the agency’s goals with the Sustainable Development Goals were discussed.

In her welcoming remarks, the Foreign Secretary—who was chairing the council for the first time—reiterated the importance of international development cooperation (IDC) as a pillar of our foreign policy and as a tool for ensuring that Mexico acts with global responsibility. "We enjoy an enormous amount of international prestige, thanks to our efforts on behalf of development, and we do best when we coordinate more,” said the Foreign Secretary.

She thanked the other Secretaries, Conacyt and the CDI for the support they give to AMEXCID, whose mandate is to coordinate the international development cooperation given and received by Mexico.

AMEXCID Executive Director María Eugenia Casar said that the 2030 Agenda will determine Mexico’s IDC so that cooperation is made more effective and inclusive, and she announced that AMEXCID will work closely with the Presidency, INEGI, and the other institutions that are involved in the Specialized Technical Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (CTEODS). She invited those present to review the 2015 Annual Report, which highlights AMEXCID’s recent projects:

●  Mesoamerica Project: the "Mesoamerica without Hunger" initiative, which internationalizes the national crusade against hunger; the launch of the Mesoamerican Information Highway, a fiber optic network; and consolidation of the International Network of Mesoamerican Highways (RICAM).

●  The Proyecta 100,000 program. This year’s goal is to send 64,500 Mexican teachers and students to the United States, mainly to study English.

●  Caribbean countries received—for the first time—the satellite images they need to design public policies, for example to reduce natural disaster risks.

●  In humanitarian assistance, support for the Mexican mission, composed of 112 specialists, that was sent to Ecuador after the recent earthquakes to help with the emergency situation there.

●  In cultural promotion, during the first three months of 2016 AMEXCID supported 539 visual arts, performing arts, film, literature and cuisine projects, of which 185 took place in Europe, 144 in North America, 47 in South America, 91 in Central America and the Caribbean, 46 in Asia, and 26 in the Middle East and Africa.

The Undersecretary of Transportation of the SCT, Yuriria Mascott Pérez, referred to the importance of promoting cooperation in the transportation sector, which is of great importance to "green" development. She said that Mexico would chair the upcoming International Transport Forum, whose next meeting will take place from May 18-20 in Leipzig, Germany.

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Press release, "AMEXCID’s work program is aligned with the 2030 Development Agenda," Apr. 27, 2016, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), Mexico, DF; translation SRE