In August 2023, Fundar and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES México) organized the Conference for a Feminist Fiscal Policy. This was a space for reflection in which 50 women participated, including journalists, activists for the Caregiving Agenda, and colleagues from civil society and academic organizations from Mexico City and other Mexican states. As a result of this conference, we decided to form the Network for a Feminist Fiscal Policy, which aims to be a joint undertaking to develop and position proposals that incorporate a feminist perspective in fiscal policy to identify and address systemic and structural problems in policies on taxes and public spending that hinder progress toward substantial equality and toward securing the human rights of women in all their diversity.
Also, we collaborated with the Menstruación Digna collective and FES Mexico to publish “Rojo Menstruación. Historia de una victoria. Guía de incidencia (Menstruation Red: History of a victory. Advocacy Guide)” as part of the ongoing fight for women’s rights and policies that bridge the gender gaps. This publication shares the personal account of how the Menstruación Digna México collective came together, built networks, and developed tactics to secure a 0% tax on menstrual products, ensuring that no one would have to pay taxes on menstruating. This book also serves as a “how-to guide” for advocacy, as we understand the complexities of organizing and achieving goals. We wrote it to provide a source of support for people to read, learn, and adapt strategies to their specific life contexts.
In 2023, Fundar promoted consolidating and strengthening the National Group for the Just Energy Transition. Together with Ojo de Agua Comunicaciones, we organized the Alternatives for Life Fair (Feria de Alternativas por la Vida in Spanish) in the isthmus region of Oaxaca. The fair saw the participation of young people from the region, and it helped to strengthen the capabilities of participating communities. During the event, alternative energy projects were presented, including solar panels and solar and biodigester stoves. These projects were then shared with local authorities from the isthmus of Oaxaca.
As part of a national group, we organized the conference “Our Future, Our Energy” with over 25 organizations, civil society movements, cooperatives, workers, and academics from Mexico. The conference was a platform for analysis and joint efforts to reflect on possible paths toward a shared model for energy generation, distribution, and consumption just for people and nature. This effort was part of our first steps towards opening a national debate on the climate crisis, the just transition, and energy alternatives.
After working with the CambiémoslaYa collective for five years, we were able to position recommendations that were used in initiatives for reforms presented by the president in 2023. These reforms impacted public mining policies, national waters management, waste management, ecological balance, and environmental protection. The reforms were approved, including demands and recommendations presented by the collective in 2022. Among the demands agreed upon to improve public policy were the removal of preferential treatment given to mining activities, the ban on granting mining concessions in Protected Natural Areas, the requirement for free, prior, and informed consultations with affected communities, the ban on seabed mining, the establishment of a plan to close mines, the requirement for a waste management plan, and the restriction of the transfer of mining concession titles. The approval of these policies is a historic achievement in the fight against the damage and effects of mining in the country.
As part of our commitment to making progress through collective efforts, in 2023, Fundar continued to work on organizational strengthening as a member of the Alianza por la Libre Determinación y la Autonomía (in English, the Alliance for Free Determination and Autonomy or ALDEA for its Spanish initials), made up of more than 240 communities, indigenous groups, and organizations from 19 of the country’s states. Accordingly, the national assembly, in the Sierra Huasteca region of north-central Mexico provided an opportunity to share different strengthening strategies and paths for making progress on demanding reform in matters pertinent to indigenous peoples. An ALDEA Women’s Group meeting was held to share the lessons learned while defending territory and to strengthen skills for facing violence. Likewise, we continued with our collective work on mobilizing communities before the Secretariat of the Interior, which opened an advocacy channel to promote the recognition of indigenous communities and peoples. The dialogue processes with the Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples for the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights and the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples was proof of ALDEA’s positioning as a political actor.
On this collective path, we recognized the importance of planning and developing a joint political vision as a collaborative effort. Therefore, this year, we supported the work done by the agricultural day laborers with Alianza Campo Justo, made up of Fundar, Oxfam Mexico, Montaña Tlachinollan Human Rights Center, and the National Network of Agricultural Day Laborers. By doing so, we managed to open communication channels with the Mexican Social Security Institute, the National Women’s Institute, and the National Human Rights Commission, which are critical institutions for guaranteeing the rights of agricultural day laborers.
