Social Actors and International Alliances for Addressing Global Challenges

Global dynamics demand that Mexico assume a more critical role in foreign policy than ever before. We face an era of major international challenges, one that calls for a multilateral agenda with genuine vision and a clear sense of direction.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard recognize this complex landscape. In keeping with the Fourth Transformation, the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE), where I had the privilege of working for two years, has made social participation within the multilateral agenda a central priority.

The General Directorate for Liaison with Civil Society Organizations at the SRE, which I had the honor of leading, guided a range of efforts to ensure follow-up and support for social initiatives and contributions on foreign policy matters. In some cases this meant responding to immediate pressures and specific circumstances to incorporate civil society proposals into items on the multilateral international agenda.

Mexico has been an active participant in building civil society participation processes within international bodies and in shaping the international agenda in recent years. This sub-secretariat's work in multilateral foreign policy was further strengthened by broadening the role of social actors in the negotiation and implementation of agreements, as well as in multilateral and bilateral actions.

From the beginning of the administration, the goal was to promote civil society organizations' participation in the design, implementation, and evaluation of multilateral foreign policy. This was pursued through mechanisms that created spaces for dialogue and consultation, incorporating their perspectives and expertise into the multilateral agenda. The aim, then and now, is to make Mexico a more inclusive country through a responsible and active foreign policy that advances national development goals from an institution committed to sustainable development.

Today more than ever, the hyperconnected world we knew has given rise to acts of global solidarity. The public and private sectors have come together to mount a concrete response to the blows dealt by a global pandemic and its economic and social consequences.

Under the 2030 Agenda, Sustainable Development Goal 17 focuses on Partnerships for the Goals, objectives that in a post-pandemic context are now understood within a far broader frame of reference. The need for a global response has, without question, sharply accelerated.

In markets, value is co-created by different economic actors when they come together productively to generate new types of goods and services, each contributing time and effort. That same premise must underpin collaborative action among the public sector, the private sector, civil society organizations, academia, and others, each contributing from their own position and experience.

During my time at the Secretariat, I worked to invite and bring a wide range of actors to the table and to find solutions to global problems. These solutions map out actions for both global and local actors in the implementation of thematic projects.

United Nations agencies, organized civil society, academia, and the private sector, among many others, have been and will continue to be indispensable partners, working alongside the public sector to ensure that no one is left behind.

Frequently Asked Questions

What role did Mexico's SRE play in promoting civil society participation in multilateral foreign policy?

The SRE, through the General Directorate for Liaison with Civil Society Organizations, created dialogue and consultation mechanisms to incorporate civil society perspectives into the multilateral agenda, broadening social actors' participation in the negotiation and implementation of international agreements.

How does SDG 17 relate to Mexico's post-pandemic foreign policy approach?

SDG 17 focuses on Partnerships for the Goals. In the post-pandemic context, this objective has taken on broader significance, with the urgency of a globally coordinated response accelerating the need for cross-sector collaboration among governments, civil society, academia, and the private sector.

What is the co-creation model described in the article?

The article draws an analogy to market-based co-creation, where different economic actors combine time and effort to generate new goods and services. The same logic applies to collaborative public policy: the public sector, private sector, civil society, and academia each contribute from their own vantage point to produce solutions that no single actor could achieve alone.