Mexico City has just started a new path concerning its administrative status. Last 29th January the federal Constitution was reformed to devolve power from the federal government. The very first step was the setting-up of a Constitutional Assembly of Mexico City with the mandate of preparing a new constitution that will recognize Mexico City as a federal entity, giving it the same status as the other 31 States that compose the nation called United Mexican States. The new constitution should be approved by 31st January 2017.

Interculturality and human mobility are mentioned in several of the constitutional dispositions that appear in the first draft version of the text, confirming the commitment of Mexico City to realise the diversity advantage and fully implement the Council of Europe Programme on “Intercultural Cities (ICC).”

Embedding intercultural and human mobility values and concepts with the administrative and legislative sphere has been a commitment undertaken by Mexico City already in 2009, when the city decided to accede to the Council of Europe programme during the ICC gathering organized in Bari, Italy.

The full membership of Mexico City in the programme was publicly announced in August 2010 by Ms Gabriella Battaini Dragoni, at that time General Director of the Council of Europe DGIV.  Mexico City was the first member city from outside the European continent to join this important and forward-looking initiative.

Mexico City membership to the ICC programme materialized into a first important achievement in 2011, when Mexico City Parliament approved the first law on “Interculturality, Care for Migrants and Human Mobility”. After that, the city underwent two ICC Index assessments as a way to reinforce its public policies and measure its progress towards a more inclusive society.

With the process of approval of the first constitutional document Mexico City may further become the first intercultural city to embed Interculturality and human mobility issues in a constitutional realm.

During the constitutional reform process, Mexico City Constitutional Assembly, through the work of MP Cecilia Soto and other constituents, will seek at gaining the support of the other 100 cities that are part of the Council of Europe ICC programme, and look forward to encourage them to follow the same legislative path.