communications, Author at Franciscans International

We are delighted to be launching our new website today! For the past year and a half, Franciscans International has been working to build a website with one simple goal in mind: making our work more accessible to you.

We warmly invite you to have a look around and hope that you’ll share our enthusiasm. Before you visit, we’d like to take this opportunity to highlight some of the new features that we are most excited about.

Franciscans and the United Nations

Franciscan values are at the core of our advocacy at the United Nations. The new website features more information about how we connect these two worlds and how it shapes the work we do. We have also added new sections with stories about the sisters and brothers that advocate at the UN and with resources that explore the roots and spiritual dimensions of our work at the United Nations.

Improved access to our resources

All our advocacy interventions, tools, and publications are now easily accessible in one section. The website is built with a new functionality that will allow you to search through and filter these resources based on their type, subject matter, date range, and the countries and regions covered. We added a similar functionality to help you navigate through our past annual reports and newsletters. Finally, an improved general search bar at the top of our website will also allow you to find what you look for more easily.

Get to know us in six languages!

We want to make sure that our work is accessible to everyone: that’s why our new website is available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. You can easily switch between the different languages by selecting your desired option at the top and the bottom of the screen. Although we’re doing our best to make our content available in all languages, if there is no translation available, the English version will still appear by default.

Understanding our work

Franciscans work on a wide variety of issues across the world – we realize sometimes this can get complicated. You can now find a simple overview of how we translate this work at the grassroots into concrete action at the United Nations. We’ve also added new sections where you can read up on our thematic and regional advocacy and see our latest activities in each area at a glance.

Supporting Franciscan voices at the UN has never been easier!

Last but not least, we can only amplify Franciscan voices at the United Nations thanks to the generous support of our donors. However, this should not be the complicated part. We’ve updated our donation platform to make things as easy as possible for anyone who wants to support our work. Through the new website you can make a contribution – big or small – with just a few clicks. Spread the word!

Tell us what you think!

We hope that you will enjoy this website and all its new feature. Together with the experts at Longbeard, we’ve done our very best to make the work of Franciscans at the UN as accessible as possible. We invite you to share your feedback with us, so we can continue to improve.

Franciscans International participated in the twenty-second session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in New York, focusing on “Indigenous Peoples, human health, planetary and territorial health and climate change: a rights-based approach.” During these two weeks, FI had the opportunity to meet with grassroots and other partners, including the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI) and the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM), whose delegations included individuals from the Amazon in Brazil, Ecuador, and Bolivia. Many interventions by Indigenous groups focused on the so-called “energy transition” and raised concerns over the extensive mining of Indigenous lands and consequent impacts on the environment and human rights.

Building on its work at the UN in Geneva, FI called for support for the ongoing negotiations toward a legally binding instrument to regulate transnational corporations under international law. FI previously raised the negative impacts of business activities on Indigenous Peoples during a high-level side event at the 20^th session of the UNPFII.

FI also shared recommendations with some members of the UNPFII to include language on the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment (R2HE) in the final report, following the recognition of this right by the UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council in 2022 and 2021, respectively. Brother Rodrigo Péret OFM also joined FI during meetings on the margins of the forum and made a presentation to the Mining Working Group on extractive issues and on how civil society organizations across the world can work together to counter these trends.

We welcomed the draft report of the UNPFII, which reiterated FI’s recommendations on the following issues:

On the R2HE: “The right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, the right to health and development and the rights of Indigenous Peoples must be seen as interconnected and must be strengthened in intergovernmental negotiations as essential elements of an integrated planetary health governance framework.”

On a legally binding instrument: “The Permanent Forum welcomes the ongoing international efforts to develop legally binding instruments that ensure accountability and due diligence by transnational companies. The reflection of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in such instruments is essential.”

FI will keep monitoring developments on related issues as well as the implementation of key recommendations. We will also continue to advocate for better protection of Indigenous Peoples against human rights abuses caused by business activities. To learn more about FI’s commitment to elevating the voices of Indigenous Peoples, especially in the context of extractive industries, have a look at our article on ‘working toward business accountability at the United Nations’.

The Philippines has experienced severe human rights violations in the past decades, especially linked to the “war on drugs” by former President Duterte (2016-2022). His term was defined by threats, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and harassment of human rights defenders.

Meet Sister Susan Esmile SFIC, who belongs to the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception.^* In 2008, she was assigned as the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Coordinator of the Philippine North Province. Since then, she has worked to protect people at risk, feed the poor, strengthen communities, and support the victims of injustice.

__________________________________________

What are the main human rights issues in the Philippines and how do these relate to your work?

Violations of the right to life, right to food, clean water, and shelter, as well as corruption, are the main human rights issues in the Philippines. People living in poverty are the most vulnerable, and when they are not able to study or lack better opportunities, they sometimes can fall into the trap of selling drugs. During Duterte’s “war on drugs”, thousands of people disappeared or were found dead. Under Operation “Tokhang”, the police were allowed to raid suspects’ homes without a warrant.

They were supposed to persuade them to surrender and stop their illegal activities. In reality, most of them were unlawfully killed, often in their own homes. We visited the wake of the victims and tried to console the bereaved families with our presence. We gave a little financial help to the poorest, especially when those killed were the families’ breadwinners. We tried to organize and gather the families of the victims living in the same area and referred them to other institutions that can help them address their traumas.

What inspired you to start work on human rights issues, and how does it connect to your calling as a Franciscan Sister?

For me, our commitment to God means embracing the cause or the mission of Christ. This means the protection of life, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, freeing the captives, etcetera. It is a tall order for me if I want to be Christ’s disciple. Believing that Saint Francis of Assisi has followed Jesus and the Gospel almost verbatim, I feel that this is also my calling – to be faithful in following his example of total dedication to the cause of Christ.

Can you give examples of people you helped protect?

Many people were being hunted or run after by the military because of their political orientation or because they witnessed extrajudicial killings. In 2007, a corruption scandal involving then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was exposed by Mister Rodolfo Jun Lozada. He received many death threats from the people involved in that scandal, so I was usually the one to accompany him to the hearings.

We also took care of the family of a young girl who witnessed the killing of Kian de Los Santos, one of the numerous victims of the “Tokhang”. For more than a year, we accompanied the witness at court hearings to ensure her safety and give her moral support. Of course, there was always the risk of being caught by the police, the military, or vigilantes while transporting the person from one place to another, especially if it was someone high-profile.

What is your proudest achievement?

I invited victims of human trafficking and families of the victims of Duterte´s war on drugs, and I asked them to share their experiences with the sisters as a way of helping them release their pains and sufferings and to find support from them. As for the sisters, it made them more aware of what is happening in our society so that their prayers for the victims of injustice are more concrete after meeting personally and hearing first-hand experiences of the victims. During the pandemic, we also asked for donations and worked with some groups and individuals in providing help: goods like rice, canned goods, and vegetables, through community pantries to the poor, especially those who have lost their jobs.

According to you, what is the difference between charity and human rights work? And do you think they complement each other?

Charity and human rights are similar in many obvious ways. They are both acts of compassion and recognition of the dignity of the individual person. But charity is more about giving material goods to the poor whereas human rights work is addressing the roots of their suffering. There is no obligation to charity. Human rights work is something more – it is a necessary commitment.

* The SFIC is a member of the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines (AMRSP) now called the Conference of Major Superiors in the Phils (CMSP). One of the mission partners of this institution is the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Commission (JPICC) whose members are the JPIC representatives from the different member congregations.

For more information, check out our main article on Franciscans at the Forefront of Human Rights.

As we mark World Water Day and UN representatives, civil society, and other stakeholders gather for the Water Conference in New York, we must confront a dire reality: like UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently stated, “the world is woefully off-course to achieve our goal of water and sanitation for all by 2030.”

In regions already experiencing water scarcity, which is now increasingly exacerbated by the triple-planetary crisis, corporate interests are further driving and aggravating the situation. Indeed, in 2021, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment reported that businesses are “a major contributor to water pollution, water overuse, and degradation of freshwater ecosystems […]” While often cloaked in the language of development, these projects frequently lead to human rights violations, including when free, prior, and informed consent is not given by Indigenous Peoples.

One such example can be seen in Guatemala, where Franciscans International works closely with Indigenous Q’eqchi communities, who have taken a stand against hydro-electric projects that divert their sacred rivers. Already, this has destroyed much of the plant and marine life that traditionally sustained these communities. Those demanding their right to meaningful consultation and to consent about the project have instead been criminalized and, in some cases, jailed on spurious charges.

“The Cahabón Riveris sacred, it’s a source of food and life,” says sixteen-year-old Nikte Caal, a Q’eqchi environmental defender, who recently spoke at an event during the UN Human Rights Council about her activism and her father who was jailed for his human rights work. “It is our duty to defend the ecosystems and biodiversity and to fight for the life of our Mother Earth, to fight for our life and that of the next generations. We cannot be observers of the destruction of our environment. We must inform ourselves of what is happening and act.”

This is not an isolated phenomenon: Franciscans International has worked with communities facing similar violations in numerous countries, from Brazil to the Solomon Islands, where extractive industries and large-scale agricultural projects, amongst other sectors, deprive people of their right to water.

So how can we heed Nikte’s call?

Acting requires international efforts, including by the United Nations and its Member States. While the Water Conference is an important step, States must move beyond voluntary commitments and political declarations. The time for action and for States to fulfill their obligations under international law is long overdue. This includes implementation of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment at national level. We also call on States to negotiate on and adopt a treaty to regulate and hold to account transnational corporations and other businesses to adequately address violations of the rights to water and to sanitation in the context of by business activities.

Accordingly, businesses should also answer Nikte’s call, including through implementing human rights and environmental due diligence. In this area, we are encouraged by some valuable initiatives, such as the development of the mega-project cycle by Leo Heller, the former UN Special Rapporteur on water and sanitation, as a tool that can help strengthen the resilience of affected communities as they claim their rights and seek to prevent the risks stemming these projects. Similarly, Pedro Arrojo, the current Special Rapporteur, has identified sustainable practices in managing water systems by Indigenous Peoples, that serve as a template for others.

We must continue to hear from Nikte and other voices from the ground. While water is a universal necessity, it is clear that the impacts of climate change, as well as other causes of water scarcity and pollution, are inequitable. We must finally act upon “leaving no one behind.”

Events co-sponsored by Franciscans International during UN Water Conference

Scoping Solidarity: Societal Dialogues for Water Justice
21 March 2023, 15:00-17:00 EST, in-person.
Extractives on Water and the Environment: Protecting and Accountability through a Human Rights Framework, 23 March 2023, 14:00-15:00 EST, online.

Hearing the Unheard: Human Rights to Water & Sanitation
23 March 2023, 15:00-16:30 EST, online.

The Human Rights Council will convene from 27 February to 4 April. During the session, we will raise various human rights situations and concerns shared by our partners at the grassroots.

You can find all our statements below. This page will be updated throughout the session.

• • •

End of Session: Key outcomes and missed opportunities (4 April)

In a final join statement, we reflected on the key outcomes and challenges of the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council. Among other issues, we welcomed the adoption by consensus of a resolution on the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Nevertheless, we also expressed our concerns over ongoing attempts by some States to question whether this is indeed a universal right, despite its recognition by the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly. We further raised the role of civil society in the Council’s deliberations, which continue to be restricted after the emergency measures adopted because of Covid-19. In particular, we called for the continuation of hybrid modalities, allowing for remote participation for those that are unable to travel to Geneva.

• Full statement (English)

Item 6: Universal Periodic Review – Brazil (28 March)

During the adoption of Brazil’s UPR, we welcomed the support of all recommendations related to the right to a healthy environment, the right to water, and those related to mining activities. This is a key step considering the regressive measures, laws, and policies adopted in recent year. However, we also called on the government to take quick and proactive action to implement them, while ensuring that victims of human rights violations, especially those resulting from business activities, are guaranteed an effective remedy.

• Full statement (English and Portuguese)

Item 6 Universal Periodic Review – the Philippines (27 March)

In a joint statement, we welcomed the acceptance of important recommendations regarding the protection of human rights defenders and the commitment to investigate cases of extra-judicial killings. However, despite the change of narrative by the new administration, we remain concern about the gap between public discourse and the reality on the ground. During the adoption of the UPR, we raised several recent cases from the Philippines and reiterated our call to establish an international mechanism to investigate cases related to the “war on drugs” policy.

• Full statement (English)

Item 6: Universal Periodic Review – Indonesia (27 March)

Although Indonesia accepted five recommendations related to the human rights situation in West Papua, five others were only noted, including one regarding a visit by the High Commissioner for Human Rights. In a joint statement, we called for the swift implementation of recommendations relating to the protection of human rights defenders and to ending impunity for human rights violations. We reiterated that the human rights situation urgently needs a sustainable solution that can only be achieved through a peaceful and inclusive dialogue and by ensuring accountability for all perpetrators of all human rights violations.

• Full statement (English)

Item 4: General Debate – Guatemala (22 March)

Attacks against human rights defenders in Guatemala have doubled in 2022. These aggressions against justice operators, journalists, Indigenous communities, and organizations and individuals who defend the right to land, territory, and a healthy environment are carried out with impunity and threaten democracy in the country. In a joint statement, we reiterated our call to the Council to use its preventive role before the human rights situation in Guatemala reaches a point of no return.

• Full statement (English and Spanish)

Item 4: General Debate – Sri Lanka (22 March)

Nearly four years after 269 people were killed in the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, victims are still waiting for justice. Several official reports have not been fully published and none of the major recommendations that were published have been implemented. There has been no prosecution for criminal negligence of any state officials and no prosecution of the master minds responsible for the crimes. In a joint statement, we called on the Sri Lankan government to hold the perpetrators accountable. We further urged the UN High Commissioner for human rights to support international justice initiatives related to the Easter Sunday Bombings.

• Full statement (English)

Item 4: General Debate – Brazil (22 March)

While acknowledging the creation of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples by the new administration in Brazil, we alerted the Council that Indigenous Peoples still suffer serious threats and attacks on their fundamental rights, lives, and territories. It is essential that the new government immediately resumes a demarcation policy to protect Indigenous lands and turns its promises into action. In a joint statement, we asked the Council to remain a vigilant attitude toward Brazil to ensure that the new administration makes concrete progress in guaranteeing the territorial rights of Indigenous Peoples.

• Full statement (Spanish)

Item 3: General Debate – Mozambique (17 March)

A violent conflict and the slow onset of climate change have displaced more than 1 million people in Northern Mozambique. This multifaceted crisis has created acute food-insecurity with the situation especially dire in camps for internally displaced persons, where there is limited land and food aid available while housing has been destroyed by extreme weather events. We urged the Government of Mozambique and other UN Member States to comply with their international obligations, as well as to provide immediate humanitarian assistance in Cabo Delgado and the surrounding provinces.

• Full statement (English)

Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment (10 March)

With our local partners, we witness that discrimination impairs women and girls’ enjoyment of the right to a healthy environment, as well as a range of other human rights. In turn, this deprives humanity of the potential and steward ship of half the population. In this statement, we brought two specific cases from the Solomon Islands and Mozambique to the attention of the Special Rapporteur. To protect the powerful role of women and girls as agents of change, we also called on the Council to acknowledge the recently recognized right to a healthy environment in its annual resolution on the topic, as well as in all relevant UN resolutions in the future.

• Full statement (English)

Item 3: Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the right to food – Guatemala (9 March)

In Guatemala, government policies mostly benefit agrobusinesses and extractive companies, while negatively impacting vulnerable populations. In a joint statement, we raised our concern over the implementation of extractive projects without prior consent of Indigenous Peoples, even though they are directly and negatively affected. We also raised the issue of plant biodiversity and loss of ancestral knowledge. Considering all this, we called the Council to urge Guatemala to adopt policies that address and alleviate threats to adequate food and promote food sovereignty.

• Full statement (English and Spanish)

Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing – Guatemala (9 March)

Guatemala is at risk of extreme weather events, aggravated by the climate change. In 2020, hurricanes Eta and Iota left hundreds of people homeless or with severely damaged house. In a joined statement, we raised our concerns over forced evictions that are often carried out violently and without prior notification, without accommodating for resettlement measures. This situation disproportionately affects Indigenous Peoples. During the Interactive Dialogue, we called on States to scale up the resources available to mitigate the impacts of climate change and to refrain from evictions that put people in even greater vulnerability.

• Full statement (English and Spanish)

Item 2: General Debate – Guatemala (8 March)

Guatemala is facing a human rights and rule of law crisis, aggravated by the weakening and co-optation of public institutions. There is widespread harassment and criminalization of human rights defenders, with more than 2.000 attacks documented in 2022. In a joint statement we called on the Council to use its preventive role before the situation reaches a point of no return and to urge Guatemala to guarantee judicial independence, to prevent and investigate attacks against human rights defenders and justice operators, and to guarantee a transparent electoral process.

• Full statement (English and Spanish)

_{Thumbnail: UN Photo / Pierre Albouy}

As Franciscans we know that violence and war must never be tolerated. We join the Ministers General of the Franciscan First Orders in their call for peace and stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and our brothers and sisters that remain in the affected regions.

“These fact sheets are an important tool to support the work of indigenous people and human rights defenders’ activities. With these, they familiarize themselves with the vocabulary, design and formulation of recommendations emanating from different United Nations human rights mechanisms.”
Francisco Cali Tzay, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples

Our fact-sheets aim to support the work of indigenous activists and human rights defenders working on issues related to Indigenous Peoples. Franciscans International also hopes that they will serve as a tool to become familiar with the vocabulary, design and formulations coming from the different United Nations human rights mechanisms and that they will facilitate advocacy work at the national, regional, and international levels.

Each fact-sheet is dedicated to a different theme and contains a general description of the problem, some general and specific recommendations, and a section dedicated to other authoritative sources related to each issue.

While the recommendations are related to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of them can be adapted to address human rights situations more generally.

You can download the combined fact-sheets here. They are also available in Spanish, Portuguese and Q’eqchi, and cover the following topics:

Covid-19_and_Indigenous_Peoples Download

With Covid-19 and the “triple planetary crisis” (biodiversity, climate and pollution), the world is alerted to the urgency of acting to care for and preserve the planet. But while humanity has been called to this realization, it seems that the vast majority of governments are again bowing to financial and economic interests and are privileging short-sighted solutions.

In parallel, given how the pandemics has exposed and exacerbated inequalities, respecting the rights and dignity of everyone, without discrimination and against impunity, should be more than ever the priority. Yet, we are currently witnessing a clear backlash on human rights such as the rights to safe drinking water, to education or to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly across the globe.

In this context, Franciscans International is focusing a part of its international advocacy towards linking rights and environment, and thus demands for more environmental justice. In doing so, FI is echoing not only concrete concerns of Franciscans and other partners living and working with local communities but is also following key Franciscan values and spiritual teachings: the care for our planet.

Two specific global processes currently debated at the UN actively receive our attention.

The first is about the creation of a new UN mandate that should see an independent expert leading the work on climate change and human rights. Such a so-called “Special Rapporteur” should analyze and advise on the impacts of climate change but also on the impacts of climate responses on the rights of people, especially the most marginalized and disadvantaged.
The second concerns the call to recognize at the global level the human right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment (in short, the right to a healthy environment). Such a right is currently recognized in domestic and regional laws at various degrees and in different forms but because the threats to this right don’t know borders, progress is needed globally.

On both processes, this year has been and will still be extremely important with decisions to be taken by States under the UN auspices. FI is actively involved in civil society efforts to weigh in on these decisions bringing the real-life experiences and the voices of those who are the most affected by climate change and by the lack of recognition and protection of the right to a healthy environment.

Have a look at some of recent work on these issues:

Publications

“A UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change? Regional Perspectives” (25-01-2021)

Calls to actions

An Open Letter by Global Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples for the Establishment of a new UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change (22-06-2021)
The time is now! Recognize the right to a safe, clean, healthy, and sustainable environment (14-09-2020)
Call to action: Realizing the rights of the child through a healthy environment (07-02-2020)

Articles

“UN Human Rights Council shies away from appointing expert on climate” – Geneva Solutions (25-06-2021)
“Faith groups back call for UN special rapporteur for climate and human rights” – New Catholic Reporter (18-06-2021)
“Indigenous people’s lives depend on their lands, but threats are growing worldwide” – New Catholic Reporter (12-05-2021)
Sister Water calls us to the people of El Salvador (30-03-2021)
COVID-19: Extreme poverty and environmental justice (30-04-2020)

Events

“Justice and Accountability in the Context of Extractive Industries”, with indigenous human rights defenders from Bangladesh, Brazil, Guatemala and Indonesia (29-04-2021)
New York – Geneva dialogue on the Sustainable Development Goals and climate action in times of Covid-19 recovery (29-04-2021)
“Urgently Addressing Climate Change as a Human Rights Issue”, with small island states, indigenous peoples, and youth and faith perspectives (26-03-2021)
“Water Sources have a Woman’s Face” on access to water in Central America (12-03-2021)
“The responsibility of business on human rights: Franciscan action at the UN from the perspective of Laudato Si’.” (13-11-2020)
“Human rights abuses and environmental degradation – what the treaty can bring,” during the 6th session of the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations (29-10-2020)
“Privatization and the rights to water and sanitation,” a conversation with former UN Special Rapporteur Léo Heller (16-10-2020)
“Walking the talk: Exploring concrete steps towards human rights-aligned policies in a world in crisis,” linking sustainable development, climate policies, and human rights compliance (14-07-2020)
“Ten years on the human rights to water and sanitation,” on a transformative pathway for the SDGs and Covid-19 response (20-07-2020)
“The impact of megaprojects on the human rights to water and sanitation,” with the Special Rapporteur on water and testimonies from Colombia, Guatemala, and Zambia (12-09-2019)
“Inclusive national policies in the face of climate change,” with a sharing of first-hand testimonies from Vanuatu (15-06-2019)

UN statements and submissions

48th Session of the Human Rights Council

Item 4: General Debate, statement on a Special Rapporteur on climate change (24-09-2021)
Item 2: Oral update by the High Commissioner, interfaith statement on the right to a healthy environment and a Special Rapporteur on climate change (14-09-2021)
Item 2: Oral update by the High Commissioner, statement on a Special Rapporteur on climate change (14-09-2021)
Item 2: Oral update by the High Commissioner, statement on the right to a healthy environment (14-09-2021)

47th Session of the Human Rights Council

End of session statement (14-07-2021)
Panel discussion on the adverse impact of climate change, statement on a Special Rapporteur on climate change (30-06-2021)
Item 2: Interactive Dialogue, statement on a Special Rapporteur on climate change (22-06-2021)

46th Session of the Human Rights Council

End of session statement (24-03-2021)
Item 4: General Debate, statement on a Special Rapporteur on climate change (11-03-2021)
Item 3: General Debate, statement on a Special Rapporteur on climate change (10-03-2021)
Item 3: General Debate, statement on the right to a healthy environment (09-03-2021)
Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the environment (04-03-2021)
Annual full-day meeting on the rights of the child (01-03-2021)

45th Session of the Human Rights Council

End of session statement (0 7-10-2020 )
Item 6: UPR outcome of Kiribati (29-09-2020)
Item 4: General Debate, statement on a Special Rapporteur on climate change (25-09-2020)
Item 3: General Debate, statement on the right to a healthy environment (22-09-2020)

44th Session of the Human Rights Council

Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the International Expert on international solidarity (09-07-2020)

43rd Session of the Human Rights Council

Item 6: Universal Periodic Review (14-06-2020)
Item 4: General Debate, statement on a Special Rapporteur on climate change (11-03-2020)

Universal Periodic Review

Joint stakeholders’ submission for the UPR of the Solomon Islands (15-10-2020)
Joint stakeholders’ submission for the UPR of Kiribati (18-07-2019)

In the context of the 103th Session of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) – and its follow-up letter to the Mexican government – our organizations join the Committee’s findings on the lack of implementation and the insufficient implementation of some of the recommendations made in 2019. In particular, after almost two years, the implementation of recommendations related to migrants, asylum seekers and those requiring complementary protection is inadequate and the current situation is, in fact, a regression.

The lack of implementation of the CERD recommendations by Mexico is framed in the context of migration policies towards militarization, criminalization, systematic detentions and use of force that incite discrimination against migrants and asylum seekers. This context has been aggravated after the implementation of measures to control the Covid-19 pandemic.

We have witnessed an increased number of security forces, including the military and the National Guard Forces (NGF), in migratory verification and control tasks. From June 2019 to December 2020, the military and the NGF detained 152.000 migrants in the southern border. The National Defence Ministry (SEDENA) – and not the NGF – conducted 67% of these detentions, including the detention of 27.000 children.

We have identified an excessive, arbitrary, and indiscriminate use of force during the “caravans” with multiple human rights violations. The same pattern has been identified against protests inside migration detention centers when migrants tried to fight for their rights and better conditions during their detention. Sometimes these protests occur with irreparable consequences, like the death of a Guatemalan migrant in the Migrant Detention Center in Tenosique in April 2020.

CERD_Mexico_English Download

We have also documented how the National Institute of Migration (INM) has denied access to the asylum-seeking procedure for those needing international protection. Those who have expressed the those who have expressed the intention to access this proceeding have on many occasions been sent to detention centers without appropriate revision of their requests. Our organizations have even documented that people with their asylum-seeking requests, or with their recognized refugee status, have been detained and deported to countries where their lives are at risk.

Furthermore, with the arrival of African and Asian migrants, as well as from Haiti, the Mexican government has not adopted an integral migration policy to respond to their needs, such as adequate interpretation and enough human rights information.

The racism against people and families from Haiti – for those who have been victims of violence, trauma and family separation – is institutional. One of these cases is Maxene André who died on the 6th of August 2019 inside the Migration Centre “Siglo XXI” in Tapachula, Chiapas. André was sick and isolated for 15 days out of the 20 days that he was in detention.

The response by the Mexican government and institutions has incited xenophobia and discrimination against migrants entering through the southern border, particularly by deploying the INM at the borders in collaboration with the NGF and members from the SEDENA to stop migrants and asylum seekers to enter, especially through the southern border. These practices have been documented and published in different press-releases and reports, in which the criminalization of people entering to Mexico in “irregular” migration status, and allegedly carriers of a disease, is evident. This situation was more evident with the sanitary measures implemented in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, which have been not only discriminatory but also with the purpose to deter migration.

On the other hand, there are around 1500 peoples, mainly from Central America, in vulnerable and risk situations in the camp installed since the 18th of February 2021 in Tijuana city, known as “El Chaparral”. In this camp there are inappropriate sanitary, hygienic, and secure conditions, and a lack of health services and adequate food. In addition, the spread of racists, discriminatory and xenophobic messages and actions creates stressful and tense environments in the camp. Until now, the local and federal authorities have not implemented any humanitarian assistance or preventive measures to address these acts of discrimination.

We also raise awareness of the particular situation of non-accompanied children. On the 11th of November 2020, a Decree was officially published, which modified and reform several articles on migrant children of the Migration Law and the Law on Refugees, Complementary Protection and Political Asylum. However, in practice, the detention of non-accompanied children continues, particularly detentions in inadequate places; being separated from their families, the lack of access to the right to request asylum for themselves. Until now, there are no adequate regulations, protocols, or operative manuals that would effectively implement the reforms.

Lastly, in addition to the widespread context of strengthening migratory policies, our organizations have witnessed intense months of hostilities, harassment, surveillance, defamation and aggressions against human right defenders, shelters and spaces attending migrants. On the 19th of January 2021, during a human rights monitoring activity carried out by the “Colectivo de Observación y Monitoreo de Derechos Humanos del Sureste Mexicano”, human right defenders were followed and kept under surveillance by members of the NGF, SEDENA and the Marine. This happened in a context were human right defenders, shelters and civil society organizations are the ones providing humanitarian assistance and protecting migrants.

During Covid-19, and in addition to acts and statements that criminalize human right defenders, there has been a use of the health emergency to falsely argue that accompanying migrant and defend human rights pose a “risk” of contamination to the local communities. This has been the case in various shelters and for human right defenders such as in the “El Chaparral” camp in Tijuana. For this reason, we are concerned that Mexico did not provide information to the CERD on the implementation of the recommendations related to the protection of human right defenders working with people on the move.

The lack of governmental actions to implement the Committee’s recommendations is just a sign of the systemic denial of the fundamental rights of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers who are discriminated against because of their nationality.

We call on Mexico to comply with its international obligations and particularly to implement the recommendations that various human rights mechanisms have made in the context of the protection of human rights of migrants, asylum seekers and human right defenders that work with them.

Signed by

Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Matías de Córdova A. C.
Franciscans International
Programa de Asuntos Migratorios, Universidad Iberoamericana Ciudad de México
Red Franciscana para Migrantes en Centroamérica, México y Estados Unidos
Red Franciscana para Migrantes en México
Red Jesuita con Migrantes Centroamérica y Norteamérica
Servicio Jesuita a Refugiados México

On 29 April 2021, Franciscans International and the International Movement ATD Fourth World held a virtual NYC-Geneva dialogue on implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and climate action in times of Covid-19 recovery.

The dialogue brought together UN Member State representatives in New York and Geneva, United Nations (UN) agencies, and NGOs to informally share concrete recommendations and discuss ways in which the international community can effectively reach out to those living in extreme poverty. The event opened with interventions from Member States and individuals affected by climate change. Break-out sessions were held to discuss three main subsets of questions:

How do the contributions shared today by our keynote speakers resonate with your personal or work experience? For example, what would be the priorities for you to address in policy or in advocacy?
What difference can human rights-based approaches to climate action and sustainable development make for people living in extreme poverty? Do you have any success stories in your work where you were able to ensure that human rights were at the center of climate or development projects or policy?
How can we ensure better policy coherence between Geneva and New York on issues related to climate action, SDG implementation and human rights in times of Covid-19 recovery?

Participants underscored the severe impacts of Covid-19 and climate change on communities, especially those already living in extreme poverty. The importance of addressing climate change and poverty eradication holistically was stressed. Discussions also addressed the essential role of the human rights framework in empowering affected communities and ensuring better outcomes in terms of advancing the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. By prioritizing human rights, States can ensure an equitable road to recovery and accelerate achievement of the SDGs.


Access to health care and vaccines	General non-discrimination clause	Women and gender-based issues

Access to COVID-19 information	Free, prior and informed consent	Traditional medicine

Water and sanitation	Right to adequate food	Human rights defenders