Mexico launches Indigenous and Afro‑Mexican rights law consultation

Mexico’s ruling Morena party will coordinate the national consultation on the proposed General Law on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Afro‑Mexicans. The process, overseen by the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI) and the Interior Ministry, will reach 16,628 communities belonging to 69 indigenous groups and the Afro‑Mexican population, with information translated into 68 indigenous languages. The informational phase ends on 6 August, after which 82 regional assemblies and seven work‑tables will convene from 7 August to 13 September to deliberate and submit recommendations.

The consultations involve a broad technical committee of 21 federal agencies, the National Council of Indigenous Peoples, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the National Human Rights Commission and observers from the Supreme Court. In Oaxaca, assemblies are scheduled in municipalities such as Santiago Juxtlahuaca, San Andrés Huaxpaltepec and others, while work‑tables will meet in cities including Acapulco, Chihuahua, Tijuana, Monterrey, Guadalajara, La Paz and San Pedro Ixtlahuaca. The collected input will be incorporated into the draft law, which is slated for formal presentation to Congress on 12 October.