The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs has coordinated development cooperation projects in an institutionalized way for many decades – mainly in Central America and the Caribbean.

Mexico’s role in the development cooperation agenda has gained new impetus recently, mainly in the context of global debates on the new international aid architecture and the concurrently increasing focus on “new actors” in international development cooperation. In Mexico, these developments have been accompanied by a clear alignment with international commitments, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Busan Partnership Agreement and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. More importantly, the Mexican government is strengthening its institutional framework to better manage Mexican international development cooperation activities.

In April 2011, the Mexican Law for International Development Cooperation (LCID) was promulgated, effectively creating a complex and integral development cooperation system that provides the legal and institutional framework necessary to manage, coordinate and follow up Mexico’s development cooperation activities, taking into account its dual nature as both a provider and a recipient of cooperation.

LCID created a structured Mexican cooperation system, consisting of five pillars:

1. The LCID itself, as the legal framework for the implementation of cooperation activities;

2. The Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID), created in 2011, formed by five Directorates-General, which has technical and administrative autonomy and is in charge of coordinating, managing and implementing Mexico’s development cooperation policy at the federal level;

3. The Programme for International Development Cooperation (PROCID) for 2014-2018 is the basis for the planning and implementation of development cooperation actions and was integrated into the inputs of the different Mexican federal level institutions that actively participate in development cooperation;

4. The National Trust Fund for International Development Cooperation (FONCID), is the financial mechanism that contributes to a more effective management of cooperation resources and facilitates multistakeholder collaboration among different actors. FONCID attracts private sector flows by a tax deductibility, and

5. The National Registry for International Development Cooperation, aimed at integrating a comprehensive database of all federal level actions and contributions of development cooperation, whether as a recipient or as a provider (RENCID).

AMEXCID continues consolidating and strengthening its institutional design to manage international development cooperation activities (both as a donor and as a recipient) more efficiently.

Mexico asserts its geographical priorities in the countries in Latin America, and particularly in Central America and the Caribbean. Mexico cooperates through bilateral, triangular and regional mechanisms. In 2016, AMEXCID coordinated the implementation of 326 projects, of which 75% were directed towards Latin America and the Caribbean Countries. In this region, Mexico has focused on capacity development in agriculture, education, government, civil society, environment, and health, as well as infrastructure development. In addition to the bilateral cooperation, Mexico has invested in regional initiatives such as the Mesoamerican Integration and Development Project, with projects aimed at contributing to the connectivity and economic growth of the region. With the Association of Caribbean States, Mexico is also collaborating to develop resilience and capacity for risk management, transportation, among others. For many of these initiatives, AMEXCID has been able to articulate expertise and resources in multistakeholder associations.

In this context, Mexico promotes innovative schemes of cooperation to enhance its effects with the overarching goal of contributing to sustainable development. According to the National Registry of Cooperation for Development (RENCID), the international cooperation provided by Mexico in 2014 reached 288,600 million USD. AMEXCID has a particular interest in engaging other actors of development into Mexico´s ICD activities; therefore, six Technical Councils were installed to build a partnership with civil society, academia, local governments, and private sector and opinion leaders of development.

AMEXCID has also coordinated actions to connect international development partners with national priorities. Among Mexico´s most dynamic partners are France, Germany, Japan, Spain, United States, the agencies and programs of the UN System and development banks on a diverse range of issues and mechanisms.