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LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening Democratic Participation Among Indigenous Peoples of Oaxaca, Mexico

Another activity that did not materialize out was participation in international events. Although the grantee considered it important to get to know and share experiences with other stakeholders committed to promoting indigenous rights, it received no invitation to participate in international events and thus made no effort to attend any – probably due to the turnover in its Board of Directors and the team’s excessive workload during the project execution period.
Project Partner
Servicios del Pueblo Mixe
Project Description
The project sought to empower indigenous people from the State of Oaxaca, Mexico. Through jurisdictional resolutions or agreements, the project worked to reduce the number of conflicts between the indigenous legal system, on the one hand, and the state legal system, on the other, seeking to establish precedents for harmonizing the two systems. The project’s intervention was very timely and highly relevant, given the recent changes in the legal framework, especially the passage of subsidiary legislation and a new energy policy. It provided legal assistance and representation before jurisdictional, judicial, and administrative bodies in the State of Oaxaca. Politically, the project made it possible to include the indigenous peoples’ perspective and expectations in the Constitutional Reform proposal for Oaxaca. The project’s support for empowering indigenous women’s groups had a major impact on the lives of the beneficiaries as well as the development and improvement of institutional and democratic life in the State of Oaxaca.
Evaluation Date
May 2014
Country