The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, and Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard signed an agreement whereby the UNHCHR will provide technical advice and assistance to the Truth Commission in the Ayotzinapa case, as part of the cooperation between Mexico and the UNHCHR.
Speaking to the families of the 43 missing students from the Isidro Burgos rural teaching college, as well as officials, the diplomatic corps accredited in Mexico, civil society organizations, and human rights defenders, the foreign secretary said the agreement was a historic opportunity to build and strengthen institutional capacities in collaboration with the United Nations. The goal is to incorporate the highest international standards and best practices to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.
In her remarks, Interior Secretary Olga Sánchez Cordero reaffirmed the Mexican government's commitment to the victims and families of the 43 missing students from Ayotzinapa, while highlighting the government's commitment to human rights.
The Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, Martha Delgado, said the agreement was designed by the Foreign Ministry's area for human rights and democracy in collaboration with the families of the disappeared students, their representatives and the OHCHR office in Mexico.
She further said the agreement allows for monitoring the evolution of the investigations and the recommendations made by UN agencies and mechanisms involved in the case. The OHCHR will provide technical advice and/or assistance to help with institutional capacity-building to avoid any repetition of this type of case.
By signing this agreement, the Foreign Ministry is following up on the December 4, 2018 executive order to create the material, legal and human conditions necessary for strengthening the human rights of the families of the Ayotzinapa victims and providing access to the truth and to justice.