In 2023, Fundar faced a Mexico that was posing increasingly more complex challenges for civil society organizations. In recent years, the closing of civic spaces and the cancellation of some channels of communication used to try to solve some of society’s most significant and pressing topics hurt our work and the work of other organizations.
A paradigmatic example of the closing of these spaces is what happened with the Commission for Truth and Access to Justice of the Ayotzinapa Case (Covaj, for its Spanish acronym). After five years of intense investigation by federal authorities and international agencies, in collaboration with the families of the 43 students who forcibly disappeared in Iguala, Guerrero, in 2014, there was a series of disagreements between the families and authorities that obstructed access to truth and justice in the case.
Moreover, the president of Mexico’s constant attacks against some of Fundar’s closest partner organizations have adversely affected our team. We fear attempts to disqualify our work, motivated by the way we assume strong, critical stances on what the government does and does not do, will discredit us in the eyes of the groups of victims and communities we support and that are at the center of our efforts.
The persisting violence is widespread throughout the country, taking on different forms and expressions.
On the one hand, the advancement of the energy policy based on extractivism and fossil fuels continues to impact peoples and communities, in many cases increasing attacks on their community ties. On the other hand, the official narrative minimizes the severity of the situation, with statements of a supposed decrease in forced disappearances and torture, which revictimizes the groups that are searching for missing people and the torture victims we accompany. This hyper-violent context has worsened due to the growing militarization of public security and other State roles that were previously in the hands of civilians, a tendency that we are observing with rising concern.
Finally, these types of violence have differentiated effects on women, as they also reinforce patriarchal ways of exercising power and break apart institutions that play a crucial role in protecting their rights.
At the same time budget cuts are made for social and health programs particularly those that guarantee women’s sexual and reproductive rightsand the tax system is not modified to ensure a redistribution of resources that would contribute to reducing inequality gaps.
The crisis has been worsened due to the dismantling of institutions and attacks against autonomous government bodies, which have deprived thousands of individuals of their human rights. An example of such attacks is against the National Institute for Access to Information and Personal Data Protection (INAI in Spanish). Because of a lack of public appointments, this autonomous body was not able to fully work for three months, leaving thousands needing the vital information necessary to access their rights.
Facing this context of crisis and adversity, in which the politics of death are intensifying, at Fundar, we know there are also alternatives for life that are constantly being created in various parts of the country and among the groups of victims, families, communities, and organizations we work with. We recognize that solidarity and collaboration are fundamental in times of adversity, and we have upheld our efforts to continue working from collective fronts and alliances, expanding our support work and backing long-term social struggles. In addition, acknowledging the volatility of our national contexts, we have decided to broaden our advocacy strategies by participating in international spaces.
We have also committed to strengthening and expanding our networks and communities by using innovative forms of communication to reach new audiences without losing our focus on those who make political decisions that affect the lives of millions.
In 2023, we also experienced a particularly significant organizational change. In May, we welcomed a new executive director. After eight years leading Fundar, Haydeé Pérez Garrido’s period came to an end, and following a careful selection process supported by experts and members of the assembly, Diego de la Mora Maurer was named Fundar’s new executive director.
2023 was a year of changes, resistance, and reflection, of working both internally and externally to contribute to making the country more just for all, placing a feminist vision at the center.
On the pages that follow, we are pleased to share the paths and struggles that unite us, those that we broke ground on in 2023, those that are long-term, those that we promoted beyond our borders, and those that inspire us and give us hope.
2023 was a year of changes, resistance, and reflection, of working both internally and externally to contribute to making the country more just for all, placing a feminist vision at the center.
On the pages that follow, we are pleased to share the paths and struggles that unite us, those that we broke ground on in 2023, those that are long-term, those that we promoted beyond our borders, and those that inspire us and give us hope.
