punishable by law. Moreover, it is ensured that no one can take advantage of public acts of
expression of this freedom to pursue political goals, promote proselytism or political propaganda.
In 1992, the Law of Religious Associations and Public Worship and its Regulation was established,
which is available in the distinct languages of our indigenous groups. The aforementioned Law was
reformed in 2006 and Article 8 was added stating that religious associations must ‘at all times
respect cults and doctrines other than their own, as well as foster dialogue, tolerance and coexistence
between diverse religions and faiths with a country-wide presence.’
At the institutional level, the Secretary of Governance is in charge of paying appropriate attention to
religious groups and associations and which guarantees the fundamental right to the freedom of
religion.
During the last decade, we observed proliferation of different religious groups, as evidenced in the
General Population and Housing Census from the year 2000.
Currently, 7550 religious associations are registered, 88% of the population declares the Roman
Catholic confession, whereas the remaining part belongs to different Christian, Protestant and
Para-protestant confessions and other religions. Religious diversity in Mexico translates to the
existence of the following religious groups found in the national territory: the majority of the followers
of Luz del Mundo (The Light of the World) are in the central-western part, Muslims live in the south,
Jews and Buddhists in the central regions in addition to having numerous beliefs of ethnic origin or
indigenous such as the Mennonites in the north of the national territory and the Chamulas in the south,
just to cite a few.
This institutional capacity is crucial to resolve religious tensions occurring mainly within the rural
communities still subject to a system of traditions and customs. Given this, we count on a unit that
undertakes coordinated actions with state and municipal authorities to know the facts and favor
discussion and working groups with the objective of resolving issues.
Our State gives a positive assessment to the cross-sectoral approach of the Forum on Minority
Issues, benefiting from the experience of different working groups, rapporteurs and entities within the
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, its bodies and mechanisms, and to the
creation of a participation space for diverse religious groups, women and youth. Mexico believes it is
necessary to favour the implementation of common actions with other UN agencies concerned with
this topic, such as the UNESCO Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue. In order to achieve that, it
is essential to strengthen the relationship with the aforementioned institution, with UNICEF and the
World Trade Organisation, following the Convention 111 and 29.
Finally, it is important to conduct a comprehensive analysis on the drivers of tensions and conflicts
with religious motives in different countries worldwide, knowing that frequently they are based on
political, economic or social reasons, religious division being only one of the symptoms.