It is a bit difficult to know or have a map of the country, but in Oaxaca, displacements are more related to agrarian and social conflicts, unlike forced displacements in other states of the country, which may be related to other types of violence. UNHCR recognized what happened in Guadalupe Victoria. Is work already being done on another case? — What we always have to fulfill as institutions are the principles and standards under which protocols, tools, and dialogue itself are built. — Now comes a very important challenge that we will have to be very attentive to, which has to do with peaceful coexistence so that the families returning can live in peace and new outbreaks of violence do not occur, was declared. What is the assessment of the recognition given by UNHCR to Oaxaca for its policies to address internal displacement? — We are working very closely with UNHCR and other United Nations agencies on the agenda related to people in situations of forced internal displacement. The good thing is that UNHCR recognized that the process carried out in the community of Guadalupe Victoria was planned, involved a great deal of dialogue, and is a safe return where standards were met. Our state of Oaxaca is one of the states with the most conflictivity due to agrarian issues, which has led to the population—especially all those who are on the borders or in disputed territories—having to displace. We also accompany the peace-building tables in agrarian conflicts because, even if there is no internal displacement, problems must be resolved through dialogue. Oaxaca celebrates Spain's recognition for the conquest. Donald Trump's return to power has generated significant challenges in terms of migration. Do you also address this from your department? — We address that agenda jointly with the Government Secretariat, which has a sub-secretariat for Migration. 98% of displacements occurred in other six-year terms, that is, we are talking about long-standing displacements, and now we have to achieve that they return. The head of the Coordination for the Attention of Human Rights, Flor Estela Morales, received LPO in Oaxaca. What are the main points of this policy that seeks to allow these returns to the territory of origin? — The construction of peace, that these returns, these relocations, take place within the framework of a dialogue process so that they are lasting. They carry that policy, but it converges because there could be cases of deported persons who would be refugees, so there could be returns. In 2024, we initiated a process to build an initiative of law to prevent, address, and repair forced internal displacement in Oaxaca, and UNHCR accompanied us in the technical part of the construction of the protocol so that it would meet the standards based on everything that has been reflected at the international level on how consultations with indigenous peoples and communities should be. The communities are in dispute because their limits are crossed, and that is what has caused families to have to displace. It was a very broad dialogue where guarantees were given for people to participate. UNHCR recognizes Salomón Jara. How many of these displacement cases has the state government worked on? — We have identified 23 displacement cases, and their main origin is violence from land boundary disputes. Some displacements are related to social and political control, such as those in the Triqui region, which are, in a way, the most emblematic or best-known displacements in Oaxaca. Is organized crime not a cause of this type? — In Oaxaca, unlike other states such as in the North, displacements are more related to conflicts between communities over territorial boundaries. We also accompany cases that have to do with aggressions against human rights defenders, journalists, people with disabilities. The strategy is diverse because Oaxaca is a state with many cultures, each indigenous people has its own dynamics, and so each conflict has its own contexts. Each case has a totally different treatment, there can be displacements in the same region, but that have different variants. We talked, dialogued with the victim families, with the traditional authorities, with the municipal authorities, and with the agrarian representation. So, we do not have this data in the institutions. We also jointly accompany the State Search Commission with missing persons. The head of the Human Rights Coordination, Flor Estela Morales Hernández, spoke with LPO from the State Government Palace, where she highlighted the recognition that UNHCR gave to the administration of Governor Salomón Jara for the policies that seek to address forced internal displacements. We also carry the issue of the crime of human trafficking, the prevention, the attention to the victims of human trafficking and illegal trafficking of persons. But we also participate in this attention because Mexico is a country of transit, so we also have the mandate to work with migrant persons. We have to guarantee the participation of families in the agreements, in the decisions that are made. Now comes a very important challenge that we will have to be very attentive to, which has to do with peaceful coexistence so that the families returning can live in peace and new outbreaks of violence do not occur. In March 2023, we began the dialogue process with all the parties involved to achieve agreements, to achieve lasting peace, and for this return to be accompanied by a construction of peace. In Guadalupe Victoria, for example, these families were displaced in the year 2017. We must achieve a real construction of peace on all the impacts of violence and that there is a willingness from the communities to want to live in peace. How is the follow-up on the construction of peace by the authorities carried out? — The return is a process that begins with dialogue, even for them to be able to sit at the same table until achieving that the families return. There have been cases, but not as we imagined at first. Why? — It has a lot to do with the support networks that our own brothers and sisters have established in that country. One of the issues that has been most visible is the phenomenon of forced internal displacement, but in reality, there are many issues that we accompany. Anyway, yes, we have had challenges due to the arrival of this character to power. Has the demand not been as expected at first? — We thought the challenge was going to be much greater, hundreds, thousands of Oaxacans deported, but it has not been so. It was attempted to advance in the past six-year term, but it was stopped in one of the chambers and it was not possible to advance. We must sensitize the people involved in these conflicts that with violence no one wins and that it has a very strong impact on the girls and boys who are growing, thinking, and normalizing violence. I also understand that the policy of the Federal Government has somehow helped so that there are not so many reprisals against our brothers and sisters, perhaps unlike other countries. What must be respected is to meet the standard. It is the fifth state to approve a law of this type, but the first law that is built under a consultation process. So, we have made a lot of emphasis that this has to change and that is the core part. For this, we inaugurated a multiservice center where the dependencies that are in charge of this entire process in the territory are located. Now comes a very important challenge that we will have to be very attentive to, which has to do with peaceful coexistence so that the families returning can live in peace and new outbreaks of violence do not occur. You said that there are only five states with approved laws of this type, how is Oaxaca in terms of internal displacements compared to these states? — It is an important challenge we have at the country level because we do not have a general law. We are very happy to have this backing because this recognition is important because it is not only about achieving that families return to their homes and their lands, but that it is a safe and lasting return. There was also recognition for the law, for the initiative presented by Governor Salomón Jara and for all this consultative process we did. We do not have a registry to know or have this map, so making a comparison is complex. In addition, there are very silent displacements, that sometimes the person or the families do not report. That is a basic principle when we talk about the construction of peace and when we talk about building lasting solutions. Another is to achieve that women participate, it is fundamental that they have the appropriate information to make decisions, culturally appropriate training. Does the Human Rights Coordination work on other issues besides internal displacement? — The agenda in terms of human rights is very broad. What does this mean?
