Results of our Mexican Election Observation -- Global Exchange has a long history of organizing elections observations in more than a dozen countries since 1994. In the last twelve years we have organized ten observations of Mexican presidential, mid-term, state and municipal elections.

Biodiversity and Human Rights -- Mexico is listed in the top 5 of "mega-diverse" countries, meaning there is exceptional cultural and biological diversity there. The state of Chiapas is one of the most biologically varied places on earth and is considered the "crown jewel" of biodiversity. The Lacandon jungle covers the east portion of the state and is second only to the Amazon River Basin in number and diversity of flora and fauna species. During the last seven years Indigenous communities have disproportionately suffered the consequences of conflict and militarization. Now, even while the conflict continues, Chiapas has become a target for multinational corporations seeking to capitalize on the traditional knowledge of the Indigenous Peoples and pristine biological resources. We have worked with indigenous groups to combat this destruction.

Guerrero -- While international attention remains focused on the conflict in Chiapas, the southern state of Guerrero continues to suffer human rights abuses from military repression to disappearances, torture, and murder. Severe environmental degradation and government strong-arm tactics have generated strong, local resistance from campesinos and left dozens of political prisoners. Second only to Chiapas in poverty, malnutrition, and illiteracy, Guerrero has long been the forgotten step-child of the Mexican Republic. In an effort to stem human rights abuses, Global Exchange supports local human rights initiatives in Guerrero and seeks to inform international civil society about ongoing social and environmental injustices in the region.

Proposed Development and Alternatives -- Megaprojects and massive neoliberal development plans are not a new phenomenon in Mexico and Central America. In fact, they have been the central components of fiscal packages of many presidents in recent years. From the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), the past decade has witnessed transnational corporations increasingly being given the opportunity to take advantage of the natural resources and workforce of developing countries in Latin America without consistently being held accountable for social and environmental welfare. At the same time, critics continue to struggle for the development of an alternative economic model which erases existing hegemony and creates a world more decentralized and multicentric, placing human, environmental, and labor rights before profit.

Chiapas -- Seven years have passed since the Zapatista uprising on January 1, 1994, and still the conflict remains unsolved. Global Exchange established a Peace House in 1995 to help international observers work with the Fray Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights Center as Human Rights Observers. Since then we have heard testimony from over 350 Observers and now work with many other local organizations that promote peace and community development for indigenous communities in the region.

Militarization -- In the last seven years, the Mexican armed forces and government-backed paramilitary groups have dramatically increased their numbers, visibility, and intervention in social conflict in Mexico. During these years Global Exchange has maintained a long-term international presence in regions of conflict in Mexico and has developed a strong working relationship with Mexican organizations that promote human rights and democracy in the country. Our experience has led us to conclude that the new and dangerous role the Mexican military is taking is the gravest threat to stability, human rights, and democracy that Mexico faces in the coming years.

Energy Privatization -- One of the last remaining targets in a relentless privatization campaign by the past three Mexican administrations, Mexico's electric utility industry is preparing for its final stand. Constitutional amendments in 1992 as well as Fox reforms in May of 2001 have paved the way for participation by both Mexican and multinational energy companies. If the trend continues, Mexican consumers could fall prey to the same corporate interests and extortionary electricity prices that Californians have been subjected to under so-called deregulation. In order to prevent Mexico's energy industry from being the subordinated to U.S. corporate interests, Global Exchange seeks to promote healthy, sustainable energy policies that benefit Mexican consumers. Global Exchange seeks to inform U.S. and Mexican civil society about the failures of deregulation in California and to support local initiatives for public, clean, affordable power.

Democracy -- On July 2, 2000 Mexican citizens went to the polls and elected Vicente Fox Quesada of the National Action Party (PAN) as their new president -- ending 71 years of one-party rule by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). While Fox's victory clearly signified change in voter's attitude and hoped for the future, the Fox administration face serious challenges of social justice and reform. One year after the election, Mexicans are reviewing the changes 12 months have brought. Global Exchange has participated in election monitoring at the request of Alianza Civica, a national organization promoting voters' rights. For the July 2000 elections we co-sponsored an election delegation of over 60 monitors.