Quarterly Progress Report: RED-DH Promoviendo la Rendición de Cuentas por los Derechos Humanos

The activity is a five-year cost-plus fixed fee completion contract that began implementation in August 2020 and will conclude in August 2025. The purpose of RED-DH is to enhance the capacity and commitment of the Government of Mexico (GOM) to provide effective and accountable responses to grave human rights violations. To achieve this objective, the activity will work with GOM counterparts at the federal and state levels, including decentralized and autonomous institutions, targeted subnational government entities, forensic experts, victims' collectives, and civil society. The activity has three components: strengthening national oversight mechanisms, enhancing inter-governmental coordination, and supporting state-level implementation of laws and safeguards to prevent and respond to human rights abuses. RED-DH will also provide targeted forensic technical assistance to address the backlog of unidentified remains in five priority states: Coahuila, Jalisco, Puebla, Sonora, and Veracruz. The target beneficiaries of the activity are victims, families, and relatives of grave human rights violations, including forced disappearances and torture in Mexico. Institutional beneficiaries will also include federal and state-level Search Commissions as well as the General Prosecutor's Office. RED-DH's priority population includes women, the LGBTQI+ community, indigenous people, minors, people with disabilities, and journalists. The activity will execute up to USD $11,103,605.88 in grants and subcontracts on behalf of USAID. The activity is implemented in accordance with a theory of change that posits that if the effectiveness of Mexico's human rights system is strengthened, including the ability to provide oversight, coordination, and implementation of public policies and laws to address forced disappearances and torture, then the government will provide better responses to human rights abuses and greater accountability and closure to victims and their families, contributing to improved citizen trust and greater government accountability. In Year Three, Quarter Three, from April 1, 2023, to June 30, 2023, RED-DH continued to implement its activities, focusing on strengthening national oversight mechanisms, enhancing inter-governmental coordination, and supporting state-level implementation of laws and safeguards to prevent and respond to human rights abuses. The activity also provided targeted forensic technical assistance to address the backlog of unidentified remains in the five priority states. RED-DH's work in Year Three, Quarter Three, included the following accomplishments: * Conducted a political economy analysis (PEA) to better understand political actors, relations, and power dynamics in the local context. * Strengthened national oversight mechanisms by providing technical assistance to the General Prosecutor's Office and the Search Commissions. * Enhanced inter-governmental coordination by facilitating dialogue and collaboration between federal and state-level institutions. * Supported state-level implementation of laws and safeguards to prevent and respond to human rights abuses. * Provided targeted forensic technical assistance to address the backlog of unidentified remains in the five priority states. RED-DH's work in Year Three, Quarter Three, also included the following challenges and lessons learned: * The activity faced challenges in working with some state-level institutions, which required additional technical assistance and capacity building. * RED-DH learned the importance of building strong relationships with local stakeholders, including victims' collectives and civil society organizations. * The activity recognized the need to continue providing targeted forensic technical assistance to address the backlog of unidentified remains in the five priority states. Overall, RED-DH's work in Year Three, Quarter Three, contributed to the strengthening of Mexico's human rights system and the provision of better responses to human rights abuses. The activity will continue to implement its activities in Year Four, focusing on sustaining the gains made in Year Three and addressing the remaining challenges and lessons learned.