MEXICO AND THE EUROPEAN UNION TO HOLD A BILATERAL MEETING ON HUMAN RIGHTS

• Mexico and the European Union share common values that are reflected in the strategic partnership between them.

• They seek to deepen their cooperation and to exchange experiences and best practices to strengthen human rights.
 
• There will also be a seminar on human rights for Mexican and European civil society organizations.
As part of the effort to strengthen the dialogue and cooperation on human rights between Mexico and the European Union, a high-level bilateral discussion on human rights will be held on Friday, October 19 in the Foreign Ministry.

Mexico and the European Union share common values that are set forth in both the Global Agreement and in the Joint Executive Plan of the Strategic Partnership between Mexico and the European Union; a central part of which are democracy and human rights. Therefore, both parties agreed in 2010 to strengthen their dialogue and cooperation on human rights issues.

The first two meetings were held in Mexico City and Brussels in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The goal of the third meeting is to strengthen cooperation in the main multilateral human rights forums and to exchange experiences and best practices regarding the legislative frameworks and public policies of each party in order to strengthen human rights.

The Mexican delegation will be led by the Foreign Ministry’s Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, Ambassador Juan Manuel Gómez Robledo, and the European delegation by the Special Representative of the European Union for Human Rights, Stavros Lambrinidis.

The Mexican delegation will also include representatives from the Ministries of Interior, Public Security, National Defense, the Attorney General's Office and the Supreme Court. The European delegation will include representatives from the European External Action Service and the European Agency for Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union. 

On Thursday, October 18, Stavros Lambrinidis and Undersecretary Gómez Robledo will inaugurate a seminar on human rights between Mexican and European civil society organizations (CSOs). They will explore means of cooperation between the CSOs of the two regions, especially in the implementation of public policies and assessment of responsibilities and accountability. They will also make recommendations to the governments on issues such as preventing violence against women and protecting human rights defenders and journalists, among others.

The third bilateral discussion between Mexico and the European Union will take place following the great progress that has been made in Mexico in implementing constitutional reforms on human rights.