With the participation of communities from the Costa Chica region, the first Regional Assembly of the Justice and Development Plan for the Afro-Mexican People kicked off, within the framework of the Day of the Black Afro-Mexican People.
In San Nicolás, Guerrero, representatives of the federal government and Afro-Mexican municipal authorities held the first Regional Assembly to develop the Justice and Regional Development Plan for the Afro-Mexican People.
The meeting took place within the framework of the Day of the Black Afro-Mexican People of Oaxaca, as part of the effort to build public policies through horizontal dialogue between the Mexican State and indigenous peoples.
The Plan is developed in compliance with Article 2 of the Constitution, which mandates the effective exercise of the rights of indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples. This instrument seeks to promote comprehensive, intercultural, and sustainable development that improves the living conditions and common well-being of communities.
The participatory development of this plan is integrated into the Lázaro Cárdenas del Río General Plan, which covers the Balsas region and includes the states of Oaxaca, Guerrero, Michoacán, Puebla, Morelos, and the State of Mexico. It is monitored by the Chief of the Office of the President of the Republic, Lázaro Cárdenas Batel.
During the event, Gustavo Torres Cisneros, General Coordinator of Cultural Heritage and Indigenous Education of the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI), representing Adelfo Regino Montes, Director General of INPI, highlighted that Article 2 of the Federal Constitution recognizes Afro-Mexican peoples for the first time as subjects of public law with legal personality and their own heritage.
Torres Cisneros emphasized that this article also guarantees the right of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican women to participate under conditions of substantive equality in comprehensive development processes and public decision-making. Furthermore, their rights to access to education, healthcare, property, land ownership, and other fundamental human rights are recognized.
She reported that the federal government is working on the General Law on the Rights of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples, and that national consultations are expected to be held next year, as indicated by President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, before submitting it to the Legislative Branch for approval.
Torres Cisneros recalled that the Fourth Transformation government, with its humanist vision, created the Presidential Commission on Justice and Regional Development Plans for Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples to settle a historic debt and recognize the dignity of these peoples.
For her part, the president of the National Council to Prevent Discrimination (Conapred), Claudia Olivia Morales Reza, reiterated the federal government’s commitment to Afro-Mexican communities and noted that this Plan “does not seek to impose, but rather to listen, recognize, and build collectively based on local voices and knowledge.”
Morales Reza emphasized that no public policy will be legitimate if it does not originate from the territory, with respect and dignity.
In turn, the municipal president of San Nicolás, Guerrero, Tarsila Molina Guzmán, expressed her gratitude for the federal government’s willingness to promote the well-being of Afro-Mexican peoples through policies that directly impact their communities.
The representative of the Afro-Mexican People, Sergio Peñaloza Pérez, recalled that one of the main historical demands was constitutional recognition, already achieved in Article 2 of the Federal Constitution and in various state constitutions. He also affirmed that this progress represents the legal mechanism that allows the exercise of the right to self-determination and autonomy.
During the assembly, seven working groups were established with the following thematic axes: Afro-Mexican culture and identity; Rights of the Afro-Mexican people; Basic and community infrastructure; Afro-Mexican economy and natural resources; Culturally relevant education; and Health and Traditional Medicine. These topics will be the structural basis of the Regional Justice and Development Plan.
The participants agreed to strengthen coordination between federal, state, and municipal government agencies, along with Afro-Mexican community authorities, to ensure the effective implementation of this plan.
Source: reporteindigo
