Municipal authorities sign commitment to building peace in communities

Ximena Torres

Local authorities are the first link in the government's peacebuilding efforts. That is why, during the Second National Dialogue for Peace, mayors and representatives from different municipalities across the country signed a commitment to continue working towards a just Mexico, where dignity and security are once again a way of life.

“We all want to work with you. You are that institutional link where we believe peace can be consolidated in structures and processes,” said Monsignor Héctor Mario Pérez Villarreal, Secretary General of the Mexican Episcopal Conference, to the authorities present on the second day of the event held at ITESO.

With this commitment, the municipal authorities reaffirmed their responsibility to strengthen the social fabric, promote human-centered security, and uphold justice. The document constitutes a public acknowledgment of their political and ethical will to continue working at the local level.

Denise María Arana Escobar, representative of the Episcopal Commission for the Laity, read aloud the specific commitments signed by the authorities, which include: promoting safe conditions, prioritizing the protection of life, prevention, community outreach, and coordination among municipal agencies; and advancing justice practices, especially those that favor the peaceful resolution of conflicts, civic justice, and restorative approaches. The commitments also include promoting inter-institutional collaboration, coordinating efforts with civil society, churches, universities, the business sector, and other levels of government, and participating in spaces for dialogue and the exchange of experiences to strengthen local capacities and share lessons learned with other municipalities.

The relevance of this work was reaffirmed by victims and their families present during the day, who spoke with slogans such as "These are not isolated incidents, disappearances are state crimes" and "They took them alive, we want them back alive."

The authorities who attended the event were Izcoatl Jiménez Vargas, representing the municipality of Centro, Tabasco; Andrés Mijes, mayor of General Escobedo, Nuevo León; Alain Fernando Preciado, representing Guadalajara, Jalisco; Hugo David García, mayor of Jocotepec, Jalisco; Miriam Soto, mayor of Meoqui, Chihuahua; Ricardo Alberto Rodríguez, representing San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León; and María Gómez Rueda, representing Zapopan, Jalisco. Representatives from the municipality of Cherán, Michoacán, joined the event the day before, and the mayor of Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco, is expected to join soon.

During the ceremony, the mayors were also given a book, the result of the work of the National Dialogue for Peace, which contains 18 working methodologies to recover the leadership of the municipal police, promote programs to address addictions, recover public space, among others.

“We hope to be able to help you with our testimony, with our work and also with the testimony of so many associations that are here, who I am sure want to collaborate with you,” said Monsignor Héctor Mario Pérez regarding the working material.