Profile of the Indigenous People of Mexico Political Movements and Indigenous Organizations Chapter 9 - Part 3-5

by Prof. German Estrada June 29, 2003

8. Of special significance among these organizations are the International Labor Organization’s initiative to adopt Resolution 107 later modified in the 1980s and converted to Resolution 169. This resolution has been ratified by the Mexican Government. International financial institutions such as the World Bank and the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) have provided assistance in the forms of loans and grants that include specific actions and programs for indigenous peoples. Assisted and encouraged by the IDB, the Indigenous Peoples Development fund was created in 1992. Mention should also be made of the special work done by the InterAmerican Development Foundation that has worked directly with indigenous organizations in different regions of Mexico.

9. Similarly, in Europe, the European Community has been a vehicle to seek cooperation among various indigenous groups in Mexico. The same can be said of countries such as Spain, Norway, Holland, France, Sweden, and Denmark. Out of these policies have emerged more than 100 NGOs or foundations focused on indigenous peoples and reaching nearly all indigenous regions in the country.

10. Among the North American and Canadian institutions that have engaged in advocacy for indigenous peoples are the World Wildlife Fund, the Ford Foundation Us Branch of International Union for the Conservation of Nature, MacArthur Foundation, Survival International, The House of Friends, as well as a great many universities of both countries conducting special studies about indigenous peoples.

National Non-Governmental Organizations

11. Some of the national foundations and NGOs have focused on indigenous populations and actively work with local level organizations and institutions. Their activities have focused on those states with the highest indigenous population, such as Chiapas and Oaxaca. Some of the most important of these are CONVERGENCIA, Fundación Mexicana de Desarrollo Rural, ANADEGES, Fundación Miguel Alemán, CEMEFI, CAMPO, Fundación VAMOS, Fundación DEMOS, COMPARTAMOS, etc.

12. All of them have special activities focusing on human rights, environmental protection, productive activities, health, etc. Their actions are highly significant because they occupy spaces and operate in the interstitial areas where formal government agencies cannot work or where the disappearance of government institutions has left a vacuum or deficit from budgetary downsizing. These organizations, in addition to including programs highly beneficial to the well being of indigenous communities, serve an additional and related role as observers and guarantors of human rights for indigenous peoples and advocates for their legitimate participation in the broader political processes of the country.

Indigenous Organizations and Enterprises

13. The indigenous organizations have created a variety of enterprises for productive activities, for cultural preservation, and for education. Their objective is the promotion of indigenous development from their own perspective to allow them to use their own human capital, technological knowledge, and their existing systems of political organization.

14. There is a strong focus among these organizations on the promotion of a development model that permits the retention of their own ethnic identity. Some of these organizations are independent of government, while others are funded by it. Those that have received external assistance show three common elements: (a) seed capital given by an agency fostering development; (b) technical assistance over a long period of time in order to ensure sustainability and success; and (c) models which incorporate local perceptions of what constitutes success and define objectives in local terms.

Sources: Mexican government Institutions (SEDESOL)

We’ll continue next week with this chapter

gestrada@pvnet.com.mx

Prof. Germán Estrada is the author of the best selling book, "México Mágico: Everything You Wanted To Know About... But Nobody Told You..." available in Puerto Vallarta at The Net House, Mail Boxes, Etc., Books, Books as well as directly from the author by internet.

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