City of Mexico, 18 March 2016 ---  At the invitation of the Government of Mexico, and in particular the Ministries of Interior and Urban Development, the mission undertook to review the progress made on the development of the Safer Cities Mexico Programme.  Meetings took place with the Ministry of Interior (SEGOB), the Ministry of Urban Affairs (SEDATU) and the UN-Habitat Mexico Office.  Leading the two Ministries were Rosario Robles, the Secretary of the Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development Secretariat (SEDATU), the representatives of the Under-Secretary of the Prevention and Social Participation Under-Secretariat housed in the Secretariat of the Interior (SEGOB).

The purpose of this meeting was to review the progress made on the Agreement of Cooperation on the Safer Cities Programme in Mexico. During the meeting, UN-Habitat's global activities were presented in line with the Post 2015 Development Agenda and the New Urban Agenda, with a focus on knowing how both Ministries would seek to collaborate to advance the agreement of cooperation on Safer Cities. A particular emphasis was placed on the new challenges never before experienced posed by an increasingly urban world, with high poverty levels and wide inequality gaps. It was noted that, considering urbanization and its transforming potential, Mexico’s position and leadership in the urban debate must be strengthened.

On the Framework of Agreement between SEGOB and UN-Habitat signed on the 25th June 2015, it was agreed by all parties that the signature of the follow-up Financial Specific Agreement is to take place in late April 2016, enabling the commencement of the implementation of the Mexican Network on Safer Cities. UN-Habitat explained the main actions of the three-year Safer Cities approach which shall be applied at the beginning to five pilot cities, which will comprise the Mexican Network on Safer Cities and establish the annual Mexican Forum on Safer Cities.

The first forum will be held in September 2016. Both SEGOB and SEDATU would lead in the co-organisation of this event with cities. All the parties, namely SEGOB, SEDATU and UN-Habitat, unanimously agreed on the need to align the Mexican Network on Safer Cities and the Safe Cities for Women Programme using the overall comprehensive approach of UN-Habitat Safer Cities Programme. Towards that end, it was suggested to coordinate actions in five cities: Aguascalientes, Colima, Ciudad Juárez, Guadalajara and Querétaro.

Finally, the necessity to hold an event that celebrates this strategic alliance was agreed upon. In this regard, an exploratory walk was suggested between the Secretary of SEDATU, the Secretary of SEGOB and the Executive Director of UN-Habitat during the Regional Preparatory Meeting for Latin America and the Caribbean towards Habitat III in Toluca in April 2016.