Mexico

Background

Mexico is a pluriethnic and multicultural nation where minority groups face disadvantages and have never been fully included in development plans. The notion minority groups in this case refers to the indigenous population. Therefore, the first cohort of IFP alumni in Mexico is committed to the improvement of the economic, political, cultural, and environmental situation of our peoples.

After several meetings in 2005 we acknowledged the need to create a collective of alumni and founded the Interdisciplinary Network of Researchers in Mexican Indigenous Peoples (Red - IINPIM, A.C.) as a non-profit association.

Red - IINPIM, A.C. was legally registered in August 2006 as a national non-profit association. Its key purpose is:

To promote individual and collective contributions oriented at social justice and the strengthening of the rights, identity and development of Mexican indigenous peoples and communities upon their consent through the design, implementation and management of multiple social impact projects resulting from the coordinated efforts of indigenous professionals supported by the IFP and CIESAS.

To this end, the following lines of action were identified:

1. Natural resources, sustainability and environment.
2. Legal pluralism and intercultural character.
3. Language and indigenous education.
4. Indigenous medicine and community health.
5. Gender equity (for the development of indigenous women).
6. Communication and technology.
7. Historical memory and cultural identity.
8. Indigenous social economy.
9. Indigenous migration.
10. Indigenous knowledge and art.

The Memorandum of Association of Red - IINPIM, A.C. as a non-profit organization is fully based on the Mexican Constitution.

Past Alumni Activities

Panel on Autonomy of the Indigenous Peoples

Date: 1 March 2008, Patzcuaro, Michoacan.

Name: “Libre Determinación y Autonomía de los Pueblos Indígenas ante los Procesos Legislativos Federal y Estatal” (“Self-determination and Autonomy of the Indigenous Peoples in the Context of Federal and State Legislative Processes”).  An interdisciplinary analysis and assessment of the scope and limitations of indigenous peoples’ self-determination and autonomy.

Activities: Red - IINPIM A.C. organized the event with Universidad Intercultural Indígena de Michoacán, the Inter-Institutional Coordination for Michoacan Indigenous Peoples and Communities, and the State Indigenous Consultative Body.
Celerino Felipe Cruz, M.A., President of RED - IINPIM A.C. acted as moderator. The purpose of the meeting was to analyze the progress made and the steps backward in the legislative area on the recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples, and to discuss the legal background, perspectives and current approaches at the federal and state congresses, as well as the orientation, making, implementation and management of public policies on indigenous cultures.

Meeting on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Date: 17 April 2007, Paracho, Michoacan.

Name: “Reunión comunitaria y abierta de trabajo sobre: Análisis de la declaración de los derechos de los pueblos indígenas de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas y la Reforma del Estado y Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas de la Organización de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos” (Community and Open Meeting on the Analysis of the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples, the State Reform, and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Mexico).

Activities: Red - IINPIM A.C. and Universidad Intercultural de Michoacan jointly organized a meeting that gathered agrarian civil and traditional authorities, indigenous organizations, educational institutions, federal government bodies, Michoacan local government bodies, NGOs, media representatives and the general public.

The objectives of the meeting were:

1. To disseminate and discuss the contents of the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples as well as its relevance to indigenous communities and peoples.
2. To report on the State Reform process.
3. To promote unity and solidarity among indigenous communities in order to discuss and propose new organization models and ways to define our relationship with the State and different levels of government.

Forum

Date: 27 March 2007, San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico.

Name: “La Red Interdisciplinaria de Investigadores de los Pueblos Indios de México A. C. Desarrollo y Movimientos Indígenas en México; desafíos para el siglo XXI.” (The Interdisciplinary Network of Researchers in Mexican Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Development and Movements in Mexico: Challenges for the 21st Century)

Activities: Forum jointly organized by Red - IINPIM A.C., the Bachelor’s Degree Program in Indigenous Management and Self-development (LGAI) at the Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas (UNACH), and the School of Public Service of De Paul University in Chicago.

The purpose of the meeting was to analyze, discuss and exchange knowledge on development issues in the context of Mexican indigenous peoples, and to address the management of Red - IINPIM A.C.

Organization Chart