Mexico Enabling Environment Snapshot

In 2025, the enabling environment for civil society in Mexico has deteriorated across almost all principles since the publication of the Panorama baseline snapshot report in February of this year.

Threats and violence towards journalists and human rights defenders persist, and mechanisms put in place to protect them are ineffective. Furthermore, key institutions designed to ensure government accountability have been disbanded, such as the National Institute for Transparency, Access to Information and Personal Data Protection (INAI), to be absorbed by other government institutions, depriving them of autonomy. The new laws and reforms passed, work in the opposite direction, centralising personal data and expanding government surveillance capabilities. 

Civil society and victims' groups are increasingly excluded from decision-making and investigations concerning, for example, enforced disappearances and human rights. Regarding the regulatory framework for resources for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), January 2025 saw the introduction of new tax obligations for tax-deductible donations, increasing red tape for both donors and recipients. 

Government financing continues to be intermittent, compounded by a drastic drop in international financial support due to the pause in US foreign aid.