Mexico Reaffirms Its Commitment to Protecting the Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment

• UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights obligations relating to the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, Marcos A. Orellana, completed his second official visit to Mexico, March 9-20, 2026
• Mr. Orellana acknowledged Mexico's progress and its leadership within the multilateral human rights system

The Special Rapporteur is part of the Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council. The mandate, established in 1995 and renewed by consensus in 2023, aims to identify good practices and challenges surrounding the human rights impacts of hazardous substances and wastes.

The opening session of the visit was led by the Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, while the closing session was chaired by the Undersecretary for Environmental Regulation, Ileana Villalobos Estrada.

During his visit, Special Rapporteur Marcos A. Orellana met with more than 15 federal agencies and held meetings with officials from all three branches of government and autonomous bodies, including the Supreme Court and the Environment and Natural Resources Committee of the Chamber of Deputies.

He also conducted field visits in Sonora, Campeche, Tlaxcala, Nuevo León, Hidalgo, Querétaro, and Yucatán, where he spoke with state authorities, autonomous bodies, academia, civil society organizations, local communities, and the private sector.

At the preliminary findings session, Mr. Orellana expressed his gratitude for Mexico's invitation and acknowledged the country's leadership within the multilateral system and its exemplary cooperation with international human rights bodies.

The Special Rapporteur highlighted the breadth of Mexico's environmental legal framework, based on the constitutional recognition of the right to a healthy environment and the pro persona principle. He noted the importance of existing legislation, including the General Law for the Prevention and Comprehensive Management of Waste, the General Law on Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection, and the General Law on the Circular Economy, in force since January of this year. He also recognized the role of the Federal Judiciary in ensuring access to justice for communities affected by toxic substances.

The Special Rapporteur and Mexican authorities agreed on the scale of environmental degradation linked to contamination in the Atoyac, Lerma-Santiago, and Tula river basins, where remediation and cleanup efforts are ongoing.

In keeping with UN Special Procedures practice, the Special Rapporteur will present a report with his observations and recommendations to Mexico in the second half of this year.

The Government of Mexico reaffirms its commitment to the international human rights system, in a spirit of dialogue and for the benefit of all Mexicans.