PRESS RELEASE: INAI’S STATEMENT REGARDING CIVIL SOCIETY DEPARTURE OF MEXICO’S TECHNICAL TRIPARTITE SECRETARIAT AT THE OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP

1. INAI’S STATEMENT REGARDING CIVIL SOCIETY DEPARTURE OF MEXICO’S TECHNICAL
TRIPARTITE SECRETARIAT AT THE OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP
INAI strongly condemns any violation to Mexicans right to
privacy, even if it is presumable.
Mexico’s Third Action Plan was one-of-its-kind in the
country, but openness was infringed by the presumable
espionage denounced by civil society organizations.
Since 2011, almost six years ago, INAI has been part of Mexico’s Technical Tripartite Secretariat at
the OGP. Within it, INAI has proved its commitment with the principles of open government such as
transparency and citizen participation. The Secretariat has been a space for fruitful dialogue and
consensus between government and civil society. Thanks to its coordination, the national open-
government agenda has been advanced through four Action plans.
As part of this Secretariat, INAI has always been sensitive to those opinions and proposals offered by
the civil society, especially those related to the defense of human rights. Suffice it to recall, the key
role of INAI in the implementation of the Second Action Plan commitments related to disappeared and
detained persons. As the autonomous body in charge of guaranteeing access to information and
personal data protection, the INAI´s technical contribution was crucial for the timely fulfillment of these
commitments.
Regarding civil society departure of the Secretariat, INAI disapproves any kind of espionage to Mexican
human rights defenders, even if it is presumable. INAI strongly condemns the presumable digital
espionage against the right to health defenders that collaborated with the working group
responsible for developing commitments against obesity in Mexico’s Third Action Plan.
Despite the absence of evidence to activate its attributions for guaranteeing the right to the protection
of personal data, INAI offers technical and legal support to initiate the correspondent jurisdictional
mechanisms to, if necessary and once the violation is proven, investigate and punish those responsible.
The departure of civil society from the Technical Tripartite Secretariat (STT) makes evident the need
to rethink and / or renovate this space of dialogue almost six years after its creation, an idea that has
recurred since 2015 within the Secretariat.
For this reason, INAI reiterates to both the federal government and the ten civil society organizations
that make up this alliance, its commitment to continue to act as a promoter and facilitator of
dialogue and co-creation within the Open Government Partnership in Mexico.
From INAI, it is considered that this space for dialogue must evolve towards a much more effective
coordination mechanism that allows, on the one hand, to generate ambitious and transformative
commitments and, on the other hand, to privilege democratic dialogue between civil society and
government, being all sectors much more receptive to their own and other represented actors’
concerns.
INAI is and will be respectful of the decisions and actions that the Civil Society, which
participates in the STT, carry out before on the Steering Committee of the Open Government

2. Partnership. Nevertheless, it expresses its interest in the construction of a renewed space that
allows the commitments and actions of all the actors involved, to be subject to an effective mechanism
of accountability that gives certainty of effectiveness to improve the opening of our institutions,
but also avoid actions of intimidation to any actor who participates in the work of the Open Government
Partnership in Mexico
We agree with the Civil Society Organizations that, events of this nature, breach the necessary
confidence of any dialogue, undermine the capacity to build agreements and preclude a respectful
relationship between public institutions and society. Therefore, INAI - convinced of the principles of
open government - is committed to offering solutions that will restore confidence in this space
and if this is not possible, offer new viable communication alternatives between society and government
to strengthen the results reached until today, as well as to promote the principles of open government
in all institutions of the Mexican State