Why are local and regional governments essential to promote, protect, and respect human rights?
Local governments are the first line of institutional response and the level of government closest to people's everyday realities. In Iztapalapa, their role is essential because they address the district's most pressing challenges through public policies grounded in social, territorial, and human rights approaches. Their importance lies in their ability to translate global commitments into tangible actions for the community, as demonstrated by ensuring universal design in public infrastructure projects in full compliance with international disability treaties. Moreover, their territorial proximity enables them to implement direct protection strategies for historically marginalized populations, effectively safeguarding the best interests of children and coordinating comprehensive programmes to prevent and eradicate gender-based violence. The essence of local government in promoting human rights also lies in fostering peace through active listening. Through citizen participation mechanisms such as inclusive consultations and the People's Days ("Días del Pueblo"), government decisions are built from the ground up and respond to the genuine needs of the community.
Why are human rights relevant values and a useful framework for guiding local action?
Human rights constitute the ethical and methodological backbone for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of local public policies. In Iztapalapa's Provisional Government Programme, this rights-based framework is the driving force behind achieving Buen Vivir ("Good Living"), an institutional concept that refers to well-being achieved through guaranteeing access to all fundamental rights. This approach is an extremely valuable governance tool because it provides coherence to public administration, ensuring that every policy is designed in a manner consistent with responsible public spending while directly contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. Furthermore, using human rights as a guiding framework requires mainstreaming the response to structural inequalities, ensuring that substantive equality and interculturality shape the coordinated work of all operational departments. Finally, this ethical framework justifies and guides investment in infrastructure by promoting the comprehensive recovery of public spaces and the improvement of urban services, thereby restoring dignified environments where all people can fully exercise their right to the city.
We share the strong conviction that human dignity is realized at the local level. Our 2024–2027 Provisional Government Programme embraces a human rights-based approach as the essential driving force for achieving Buen Vivir ("Good Living") in our communities.
By joining this campaign, we reaffirm our institutional commitment to aligning territorial planning and public expenditure with the goals of the 2030 Agenda. We seek both to contribute to and learn from the experiences of others in order to strengthen our strategic priorities: consolidating our Comprehensive Care System, advancing our human mobility policy as an Intercultural Municipality, and pursuing our cross-cutting commitment to building a more equal Iztapalapa.
Recognizing ourselves as a territory of rights means democratizing the right to the city through active citizen participation. Iztapalapa joins its voice with cities around the world to promote well-being, inclusion, and social justice.
1. Gender Equality and the Right to a Life Free from Violence
"Iztapa' las Jefas" Programme: Through this social programme, 85,000 financial grants were provided in 2025 to women heads of household experiencing social vulnerability and food insecurity, with the aim of strengthening their economic autonomy and reducing poverty. In addition to financial assistance, beneficiaries participated in 372 empowerment workshops covering self-esteem development, self-defence training, and violence prevention, thereby promoting their fundamental rights and addressing structural inequalities. In 2026, the programme will expand to benefit 100,000 women.
2. Human Mobility, Inclusion, and Non-Discrimination
Decree No. 3 on the Intercultural Municipality and Human Mobility: The Municipal Council adopted Decree No. 3, through which Iztapalapa officially recognizes itself as an Intercultural Municipality and unequivocally rejects any criminalization of people for exercising their right to migrate. This initiative is complemented by Iztapalapa's participation in the Council of Europe's Intercultural Cities Programme and the implementation of anti-rumour strategies designed to counter xenophobia, racism, discrimination, and all forms of hate speech throughout the municipality.
3. The Rights to Care, Health, and Food
Comprehensive Care System: To guarantee the right to care and improve the quality of life of those facing the greatest social vulnerability, five local care circuits providing integrated services were consolidated during 2025. Through this system, 3,487 financial grants were provided to caregivers of children and dependent persons; the Friendly Fridays ("Viernes Amigable") initiative was introduced to provide childcare while parents are at work; more than 70,000 specialized services—including rehabilitation, bereavement support, psychological care, and home-based palliative care—were delivered; and the right to food was strengthened through the provision of more than 203,000 hot meals in community dining centres.