• ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE 
  • SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE
  • GOVERNANCE AND DEMOCRACY
  • ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT

Mexico

GIZ local staff

National employees: 195
International employees: 24
Integrated experts: 4

(as at: 31.12.2023)  

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has been working in Mexico for more than 40 years and has an office in Mexico City.

Mexico is focusing on climate and environmental protection. The country faces a number of challenges in this context, for example in conserving biodiversity and protecting natural resources, which are affected by land use, illegal logging and trade in wild animals and plants. At the same time, climate change, marine pollution and illegal fishing are impacting coastal regions.

The country is a major emitter of greenhouse gases due to its highly energy-dependent transport and industrial sectors. This causes heavy particulate matter pollution and traffic noise in towns and cities. In addition, it is important to integrate vulnerable social groups such as women, young people and migrants more effectively and support human rights standards and transparency in Mexico’s judicial system.

GIZ is supporting the country in more than 20 bilateral projects and programmes, primarily on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) as part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The core areas of cooperation are: 

  • Conservation of biodiversity and the protection of natural resources
  • Climate and the environment, including urban development
  • Social inclusion, protection of human rights and access to legal redress

GIZ is working to integrate biodiversity into agriculture and tourism with a view to preserving Mexico’s biodiversity. In the interests of environmental protection, it is implementing measures to improve the country’s natural terrestrial and marine habitat.

GIZ is also supporting the country in adapting to the impacts of climate change. The aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to protect the climate more effectively by developing renewable energies and promoting sustainable construction and transport. GIZ is also helping to develop a waste management system and circular economy and to improve the quality of life in towns and cities to achieve long-term urban development and to prepare urban areas for climate change.

Finally, GIZ is supporting the integration and inclusion of vulnerable groups such as children, women, young people and migrants. It is also advising Mexico’s judiciary on implementing international human rights standards.

Additional information

Projects and Programmes

The German Government supports Mexico with the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and with urban environmental protection. GIZ works to protect rural and marine areas and integrate them into agriculture and tourism. This creates opportunities for the local population to generate climate-resilient income from the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.

In the field of urban development, cooperation focuses on waste management and the circular economy, environmental protection in coastal urban regions, climate change adaptation in cities, and improving the quality of life in urban areas. GIZ supports Mexico in making cities more environmentally friendly and in achieving global environmental goals.

Germany and Mexico work together closely on greenhouse gas reduction and climate change adaptation. GIZ supports fair and inclusive implementation and financing of climate protection measures in key areas such as renewable energy, sustainable construction and transportation. At the same time, GIZ promotes a green, digital economy and boosts the competitiveness of Mexico’s industrial sector.

GIZ advises the Mexican Government at national and subnational level and promotes partnerships with the private sector and with civil society. The aim is to strengthen Mexico’s climate policy and to ensure that it is implemented in line with international agreements.

GIZ supports the integration and inclusion of particularly vulnerable and marginalised groups that were isolated even more during the COVID-19 pandemic. Important target groups are migrants looking for opportunities in Mexico, women and young people. In turn, this reduces inequalities and improves social cohesion. This also includes feminist development policy approaches in Mexico.

GIZ advises the Mexican federal judiciary on how to better implement international standards and recommendations for the protection of human rights. This includes working with judges, but increasingly also with public defenders.

Safeguarding Mexico’s sustainable economic development and strengthening links with the private sector in Mexico and the rest of the world are key elements of Mexican-German cooperation.

In addition, Germany is supporting the development of a labour market-oriented approach to vocational training in Mexico. 

Mexico and Germany have been jointly implementing triangular cooperation projects since 2006. The topics include, for example, urban and industrial environmental protection, sustainable energy, or the protection of biodiversity. The approaches form a bridge between North-South and South-South cooperation. Triangular cooperation is an instrument for strategic partnerships in the sense of SDG 17 of the 2030 Agenda in order to solve global challenges together. Since 2011, the german-Mexican triangular cooperation has been supported by the "Regional Fund for Triangular Cooperation with Latin American and Caribbean Partners" (Regional Fund for Triangular Cooperation with Partners in Latin America and the Caribbean (giz.de) It makes a significant contribution to further exploiting the potential of this effective development cooperation modality.

Additional information

Additional information

In Mexico GIZ is involved in the implementation of numerous global projects. On the following pages you will find more information on individual global projects.

Our references

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