The 25th Convention of the Mexican Child-Friendly Cities Network (RMCAN) [1], attended by Equidad para la Infancia América Latina, was the setting for the presentation of a number of practical initiatives aimed at improving coordination among various Mexican municipalities, in order to build institutional capacity and strengthen action to safeguard local children’s rights.
One of the most significant initiatives introduced by the president of RMCAN, Lucia Todd, was the lobbying of the Senate for a special municipal budgetary allocation for children and young people’s rights.
In the context of the implementation of Mexico’s Ley General de Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes (General Law on Children and Adolescents), and more specifically the introduction of special protective measures, the municipalities have a key role to play. Moreover, as part of the country’s System for the Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents, they have an obligation to bring their legislation, agencies and programs in line with the children’s rights perspective.
Speakers at the event highlighted the need for greater coordination among the various levels of government. In addition to budgetary provision, proposed actions include pairing up established programs with more recent ones, depending on the support they provide. Ricardo Bucio Mújica, Executive Secretary of the National System for the Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents (SIPINNA), urged delegates to ensure that the clearly evident political will to tackle issues affecting children moves beyond words to build upon a sense of shared responsibility and collaborative governance.
Watch presentations by RMCAN president Lucia Todd and Ricardo Bucio Mújica, Executive Secretary of the National System for the Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents (SIPINNA), in Spanish here.
[1] The Red Mexicana de Ciudades Amigas de la Niñez, or RMCAN, is a coalition of municipalities that have made a series of commitments to improve living conditions for children and adolescents by bringing forward rights-focused public policies at the municipal level.
