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Population and sustainable development, in particular sustained and inclusive economic growth, was the central theme of the 55th session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development. On this occasion and as head of delegation, the undersigned presented Mexico’s position in this regard. More than ever, the country is committed to the main objective of sustainability, to achieve gender equity, sustained and inclusive economic balance and eliminate economic and social inequality. Today we are experiencing a unique opportunity to transform population policy, with a progressive outlook and a very broad horizon, as required by 21st century society.
As in almost all countries in the world, the Mexican population is experiencing a growth in the group of older people, a challenge that must be addressed from an intergenerational dynamic and without failing to take advantage of the demographic dividend, which refers to the greater volume of the population of working age . The gender gap registers a 30 percent difference in participation in the economically active population in favor of men versus women’s access. They also dedicate almost 30 hours a week to unpaid work, as if they were the only ones responsible for the care and upbringing of children, the elderly and dependents, a situation that is detrimental to their professional development and is a determining factor in the prevalence of precarious and informal work. . Faced with such situations, the foundations are being laid for the construction of a universal and sustainable national care system. There is a universal non-contributory pension for all people over 65 years of age, a right that is already constitutional; There is also the Youth Program Building the Future, a fund for young apprentices in their first labor inclusion at job training centers, and the Compulsory Affiliation Program for Domestic Workers was launched, which seeks to guarantee social security to 2.4 million people , 2.2 million of whom are women.
The challenges that we as humanity face are complex and have been exacerbated by the covid-19 pandemic, recovering schooling and post-pandemic mental health is crucial. One of the key actions to raise the level of schooling and social mobility has been the more than 11 million Benito Juárez Scholarships for students from poor families, on which the Strategy for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy is based. The strategy includes the promotion of comprehensive sexuality education and the gender perspective, issues that in Mexico were barely recognized as constitutional rights. It was also reported on the advances in women’s access to legal and safe abortion and the pronouncement in favor of guaranteeing the right of women to decide, without facing criminal consequences by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation. None of the issues referred to in this paragraph were included in the final declaration, in the face of opposition from the delegations of Russia, Belarus, Egypt, Senegal, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Brazil and the Vatican. The United States government maintained a progressive position, as endorsed by President Joe Biden in the face of the recent mobilizations in favor of the right to free decision that unfolded before the draft ruling of the Supreme Court, which puts at risk the right to abortion in that nation.
As part of the international meeting, Mexico coordinated a parallel event to promote the circular economy, this new paradigm for producing, consuming, using and disposing of material products with a focus on the protection and conservation of natural and cultural heritage, and on business competitiveness. sustainable, with a vision of understanding of local contexts and realities.
In relation to the redistribution of the Mexican population, the current policies seek to recover the abandonment of the south-southeast zone and the different water pressure caused by the drought and the growth of cities, in order to balance the differences and reorient the flows of internal migration. As never before, the economic reactivation, the internal market and employment are being triggered in the south-southeast of the country, a region with low water pressure and which is a priority for investment in urban development and housing, in the construction of rural roads and in the largest infrastructure projects, among which the construction of the Mayan Train stands out, an integral project of sustainable economic development. Another action linked to mitigating the effects of climate change is the Support Program for Sustainable Forest Development, more than a billion dollars to subsidize small owners and inhabitants of forest areas.
Before the international community, the Mexican government endorsed the progressive position that it had lost in the last two decades.
* General Secretary of the National Population Council
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