ESCR-Net Board held its annual meeting in Mexico City, including dialogues with ESCR-Net Members based in Mexico
The Board also discussed different steps to ensure ongoing institutional development to support the strategic vision and work of ESCR-Members. In particular, they affirmed the hire and initial efforts of Sergio Rozalén as ESCR-Net’s first Communications Coordinator and the promotion of Graciela Dede to Program Officer focused on Women and ESCR, as well as supported the hire of a Legal Officer in the next few months. The Board reaffirmed efforts to strengthen the centrality of social movements and grassroots groups throughout the collective advocacy and work of the Network and to continue building the System of Solidarity and Support (SOS) to address criminalization and repression of human rights defenders. Further, the Board noted the need to identify resources better support work on economic policy and human rights, while exploring more substantial engagement at the intersection of human rights and the environment, in response to the analysis and interest of many Members.
On Tuesday evening, the Board met with ESCR-Net Members based in Mexico: Equipo Pueblo, DECA (Desarrollo, Educación y Cultura Autogestionarios), Coalición Internacional para el Hábitat - America Latina (HIC-AL), PODER (Project on Organizing, Development, Education, and Research), ProDESC (Proyecto de Derechos Económicos Sociales y Culturales), Equis: Justicia para las Mujeres, Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña Tlachinollan (CDHM), La Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos (CMDPDH), Observatorio de Política Social y Derechos Humanos, and Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental (CEMDA). In addition to learning about important work to advance human rights in Mexico, the Board engaged with Members regarding the role and direction of ESCR-Net, both in facilitating collective work across borders and amplifying the human rights struggles of individual members. On Wednesday morning, Board Members and Secretariat staff members facilitated a strategic dialogue with Mexican members on corporate accountability issues, exploring ways to strengthen collective advocacy.