UN Special Rapporteur on internally displaced persons to visit Mexico, August 29 to September 9

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has noted:

“UN expert Cecilia Jimenez-Damary will conduct an official visit to Mexico from 29 August to 9 September, to assess the human rights situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country.”

Their media release highlights: “Jimenez-Damary will visit Mexico City and the states of Chihuahua, Chiapas and Guerrero. She will meet senior Government officials, UN and other human rights, humanitarian and development organizations, civil society, IDPs and communities affected by internal displacement during her visit.”

Jimenez-Damary will present her preliminary observations on September 9 in Mexico City and then submit her comprehensive report to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2023.

Internally displaced persons

As of December 2020, there were approximately 357,000 internally displaced persons in Mexico, up from 8,000 people in 2009.

While some have been displaced by climate change and natural disasters, the majority have been displaced by organized crime groups fighting for control of territory rich in natural resources, including timber.

Social movements have called on the López Obrador administration to implement the necessary protection frameworks in this regard.

PBI-Mexico has also noted that the Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights has highlighted that Chihuahua is one of the states with most episodes of internal forced displacement in the country.

CONTEC and ASMAC

The issue of internal displacement was raised on PBI-Canada-organized webinars by Diana Villalobos Diaz of the Community Technical Consulting (CONTEC) on April 2022, and by Isela Gonzalez of the Sierra Madre Alliance (ASMAC) in March 2021.

Both CONTEC and ASMAC are accompanied by PBI-Mexico.