Working with Mexico
Mexico and the UK share a number of international concerns: ensuring a steady path out of the current economic downturn, tackling climate change, promoting human rights and supporting sustainable development. Mexico is also a key partner for the UK on wider foreign policy issues, such as the UN Security Council, the G8/G5 forum, the Human Rights Council and International Atomic Energy Agency.
We are working together on all of these issues, through a number of programmes, building on President Calderon’s State visit to the UK in March, 2009.
As one of our top prioties, Mexico and the United Kingdom are collaborating to address climate change as an issue that puts global security and prosperity at risk.
Both countries will participate in the Climate Change Summit to be held December 2009 in Copenhagen, where new international policies and strategies will be discussed in order to reach an international agreement to address the impact of climate change. Bilaterally, one of the main goals of the British Embassy in Mexico is promoting the transition towards a global low carbon and high growth economy and demonstrating the range of opportunities that arise from opting for a more sustainable form of development.
The British Embassy in Mexico is also working in the field of human rights, supporting the promotion of oral trials (in collaboration with the British Council), community policing and restorative justice. At the moment we supporting a campaign for protecting journalists in collaboration with civil society organisations from Mexico and Central America. Our human rights projects promote British values such as rule of law and freedom of expression.
The main programmes for the British Embassy in Mexico are the Strategic Programme Fund and the Sustainable Development Dialogue.
Both programmes fund projects proposed and implemented by organisations from the public and private sectors, as well as from civil society.
From 2003 up to present day, the British Government has invested more than £6 million to fund these projects.
To this end, The British Embassy in Mexico operates 2 different funds:
We also work together on the Chevening Scholarships Programme, which provides scholarships for young international postgraduates to study in the UK. Since 1983, when the Programme was established, around 1500 Mexican students have been awarded a Chevening Scholarship. Each year, we send around 20-30 young Mexicans to study for a Masters degree at prestigious UK universities. When they return, the Chevening alumni participate in a range of networking and training events organised by the British Embassy in Mexico.For the last four years, we have also created a scheme for “Chevening Fellowships” which target mid-career professionals who participate in short, intensive courses on areas, for example, related to climate change and international institutional governance.
We are also working to expand Mexican sponsorship of the Chevening Programme, and we currently have co-sponsorship arrangements with INE, Shell, BP, Unilever and the Secretaria de Hacienda.
