Media Center

Press Release

OAS and Federal Electoral Tribunal of Mexico Sign Cooperation Agreement

The Organization of American States (OAS) and the Federal Electoral Tribunal of Mexico (TEPJF) today signed a cooperation agreement on issues of electoral justice at the headquarters of the hemispheric institution in Washington, DC.

The document signed has as its objective the promotion of coordination between the organizations “to strengthen their relationship, deepen the understand of justice and electoral law, strengthen democracy, promote and defend human rights, in addition to those programs and activities of reciprocal interest in issues of gender equality, all in the interest of improving the administration of electoral justice.”

The Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, emphasized that the agreement “is a very important instrument for us,” and recalled that it represents “a new step that we are taking together based on a cooperation agreement signed in 2009, that is extended now, strengthening and deepening the existing relations between our organizations.” The OAS leader said the document seeks to broaden the cooperation between the institutions in areas such as the organization of seminars and congresses; the exchange of knowledge; the holding of legal and research activities; and the development of actions for the incorporation, institutionalization and sensitization of a gender perspective, among other activities.

Upon concluding his address, the OAS leader said “we welcome this important agreement with the Federal Electoral Tribunal of Mexico and we also recognize in it the role played by the country in the promotion of justice in one of the healthiest, independent and strongest electoral justice systems in our region.”

For his part, the President of the TEPJF, José Alejandro Luna Ramos said the magistrates of the Tribunal share with the Organization “the purpose of promoting and consolidating democracy, finding the solution to political conflicts through the delivery of justice.” “The cooperation agreement we signed today aims to achieve better application and diffusion of the international instruments that guide us, as well as the best practices generated in the countries of the Americas,” said Magistrate Luna Ramos. “We trust that it will lead to the realization of important events, the development of various field of research of mutual interest, the participation of officials in the various courses and programs of training, as well as concrete actions to anchor the gender perspective in the region, among other services,” he added.

The Permanent Representative of Mexico to the OAS, Emilio Rabasa, highlighted the “transcendent” role played by the Tribunal in the democracy of the country, as it has “the final word in the resolution of electoral matters.” Ambassador Rabasa emphasized that “the work carried out by the Organization of American States to promote the strengthening of democracy is widely recognized not only in the Hemisphere, but around the world.” The signing of the agreement, said the Ambassador, “is a clear show of the commitment of my country to continue strengthening the ties of cooperation with the OAS.”

Also present at the signing ceremony were the Assistant Secretary General of the OAS, Albert Ramdin; the Acting Chair of the Permanent Council of the OAS and Permanent Representative of Venezuela to the Organization, Roy Chaderton; the Magistrates of the TEPJF Salvador Olimpo Nava Gomar and María del Carmen Alanis Figueroa; the Secretary for Political Affairs of the OAS, Kevin Casas-Zamora; and Arturo Barrio, Alternate Representative of Mexico to the OAS.

Before the ceremony, Secretary General Insulza received the delegation from the TEPJF in his office in Washington, DC.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

The B-Roll of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-072/14