Institutional Framework
In accordance with Article 5 of the General Population Act (latest amendment published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) on 12 July 2018), the National Population Council (CONAPO) is the intersectoral body responsible for demographic planning in the Mexican State, with the purpose of incorporating population considerations into the economic and social development programmes formulated within the governmental sector and linking their objectives with the needs arising from demographic phenomena.
CONAPO is composed of a representative of the Ministry of the Interior, who serves as Chair, and representatives of various ministries and agencies, including Foreign Affairs, Finance, Health, Education, Environment, Statistics, the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples and the National System for the Comprehensive Development of the Family, among others. To fulfil its mandate, CONAPO is supported by a General Secretariat, a Liaison Advisory Commission with the Federal Entities and a Citizens Advisory Council for Population Policy.
The General Secretariat of CONAPO (SGCONAPO) is a decentralized administrative body attached to the Ministry of the Interior and is responsible for proposing, implementing, coordinating, monitoring, evaluating, studying, advising on and supporting the actions determined by CONAPO in order to ensure continuity in population and development programmes. In addition, SGCONAPO is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development at the national level and serves as the political and technical counterpart of the Mexican State in the Regional Conference on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Participation
Mexico has established a participation mechanism through the National Committee for the Implementation and Follow-up of the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development, regulated by the agreement published in the Official Gazette of the Federation on 23 October 2018. Coordinated by CONAPO, the Committee is composed of 32 State institutions, enabling a multisectoral approach to the population and development agenda. In addition, three civil society organizations and three representatives from academia participate in the Committee.
Within civil society, the main areas of participation include health, education and sexual and reproductive rights, with a gender perspective. In academia, experts in population studies, demography, health and social sciences from various national universities participate. A distinctive feature of this participation mechanism is that the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Mexico serves as the technical secretariat of the Committee.
Lastly, it is important to note the participation of the federal entities and of the Citizens Advisory Council for Population Policy, a body established within CONAPO. Participation is temporary in nature, and the opinions issued by the various bodies are binding.
The Committee's functions include formulating policy proposals and coordinated actions to achieve the objectives of the Montevideo Consensus at the national, state and municipal levels; analysing and strengthening public policies to ensure compliance; establishing national targets and indicators; and ensuring the integration of the Consensus objectives into government programmes at all levels. In addition, it promotes coordination with other international mechanisms, the mobilization of financial resources, the disaggregation of Consensus indicators in accordance with SDG 17, and the discussion and approval of Mexico’s Voluntary National Reports for presentation at international conferences and forums.
The information on Institutionality comes from the regional survey for the update of the Virtual Platform for the follow-up of the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development, implemented by the technical secretariat in 2023, as well as from the Voluntary National Report submitted by the country in 2023