- Policy
- Mexico’s international development co-operation
- Contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals
- Cross-border resources to TOSSD recipients (Pillar 1)
- Sectoral distribution
- Regional and global expenditures in support of sustainable development (Pillar 2)
- Triangular co-operation
- Institutional set-up
- Other profiles
- Additional resources
Development Co‑operation Profiles: Mexico
Table of contents
Mexico’s international development co-operation promotes a comprehensive set of social, economic and environmental activities in line with the 2030 Agenda. The Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID) co-ordinates the federal government’s international development co-operation and is responsible for establishing the necessary mechanisms and tools to plan, monitor and evaluate development activities, with transparency, results-orientation and effectiveness as its core principles.
This profile presents verified data on development assistance allocation. See the Development Co-operation Profiles.
The 2011 Law on International Co-operation for Development (LCID, by its abbreviation in Spanish) serves as a basis for Mexico’s international development co-operation. Mexico’s international development co‑operation is implemented through several modalities, mostly in the context of South-South and triangular co‑operation projects in Latin America and the Caribbean, and with a special focus on northern Central America. Mexico seeks to contribute to the sustainable human development of its partner countries and strengthen the effective management of its development co-operation through multi-stakeholder partnerships, including with the private sector, civil society, academia, local governments and international organisations. This approach led to the adoption of a toolkit to manage partnerships with multiple stakeholders, launched in 2021. In various international fora, Mexico advocates for strengthening South‑South and triangular co-operation practices and for taking into consideration the specificities of southern providers in the internationally agreed-upon Development Effectiveness Principles.
Recently, Mexico’s international development co-operation strengthened its offer by expanding the geographic focus of its actions. AMEXCID notably made an effort to expand its operations to the African continent, setting technical co-operation projects with Kenya and Sao Tomé and Principe. It is now also assessing the possibility of launching projects with Botswana, Eswatini and South Africa, among others.
In 2024, AMEXCID co-ordinated the implementation of 521 international development co-operation projects. In 298 projects, Mexico, on the recipient side of the co-operation equation, partnered with Development Assistance Committee (DAC) members and international organisations. Of the remaining 223 projects, the majority (204) were South-South and the remainder triangular co-operation (19) projects. In addition to these efforts, AMEXCID extended 181 scholarships for foreigners and has co-ordinated 9 scientific research projects.
In 2019, the “Comprehensive Development Plan” was initially proposed by Mexico. It was welcomed and enriched by El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras and elaborated by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
The plan’s fundamental purpose is to formulate a diagnosis and offer recommendations toward a new style of development and to generate a new vision regarding the complexity of the migratory process in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. In practice, the plan’s main objective is to raise the living standards and well-being of the various migration-prone populations and to help transform the southern states of Mexico and northern Central America into a peaceful and prosperous region. With this effort, Mexico reinforced its existing commitment to international and regional development while strengthening co-operation and deepening historical ties with individual countries from the region.
Mexico achieved its preliminary goal of reaching 20 thousand beneficiaries in El Salvador and Honduras through two initial programmes: 1) promoting sustainable agriculture in specific rural areas; and 2) assisting young people in urban and suburban areas in building their skills to enter the formal labour market. These programmes are also being implemented in Belize, Cuba and Guatemala. Colombia and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela will also benefit from them soon.
Building on positive results of its co-operation in Central America and the Caribbean, Mexico seeks to expand its engagement through the implementation of tailored initiatives inspired by best practices in social programmes and public policy, ensuring that benefits directly reach the intended target populations.
Source: UN ECLAC (2019), Towards a New Style of Development. Comprehensive Development Plan El Salvador-Guatemala-Honduras-Mexico. Diagnosis, areas of opportunity and recommendations from ECLAC, https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/462720/34.Hacia_un_nuevo_estilo_de_desarrollo___Plan_de_Desarrollo_Integral_El.pdf.
Mexico accounts for its development co-operation through a self-developed methodology,1 reflecting the specific characteristics of South-South and triangular co-operation and, more recently, that incorporates peace-keeping missions. Using this methodology of valuing South-South co-operation, and according to Mexico’s records, preliminary figures for Mexico’s development co-operation totalled USD 208.7 million in 2023.
As a provider of South-South co-operation, Mexico started reporting on Total Official Support for Sustainable Development (TOSSD) for the first time in 2022. In 2023, Mexico reported USD 144.6 million in support of sustainable development, of which USD 54.8 million was cross-border resources to TOSSD recipients and USD 89.8 million supported regional and global expenditures for sustainable development. Sixteen entities participated in Mexico’s TOSSD reporting on 2023 activities.
In 2023, Mexico’s support for sustainable development mainly contributed to advancing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 (quality education), SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals) and SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions).
In 2023, USD 51 million (93%) of Mexico’s cross-border resources to TOSSD recipients were allocated to individual countries and regions. In total, Mexico’s cross-border flows reached 62 countries in 2023. Most of this financing was provided to recipients in the Americas (94%), in line with Mexico’s programmatic objectives to prioritise development activities in Central America, the Caribbean and the rest of Latin America. Partners receiving the largest support included Colombia and Cuba. Around 0.3% (USD 0.5 million) was unallocated by region.
In 2023, USD 51 million (93%) of Mexico’s cross-border resources targeted social infrastructure and services in TOSSD recipients. A vast majority of this financing was allocated to the education sector (USD 48.4 million), representing 88.2% of Mexico’s cross-border flows to TOSSD recipients. Humanitarian assistance amounted to USD 982 thousand (1.8%).
In 2023, Mexico extended USD 89.8 million in support of international public goods, development enablers and global challenges, accounting for 62.1% of its TOSSD. Core contributions to the general budget of multilateral institutions accounted for 98% of Mexico’s Pillar 2 contributions.
Mexico engages in triangular co-operation to share best practices in many sectors, such as the environment, climate change, energy, urban development, migration, education and economic development, among others. Triangular co-operation also helps Mexico strategically engage at the regional level with partners such as Chile, Germany, Japan and Spain.
In 2023, and according to its TOSSD reporting, Mexico’s main beneficiaries were Latin American and Caribbean countries (through regional activities) and Guatemala. The main sector of its triangular co‑operation was agriculture, forestry and fishing. Mexico engaged in 16 activities and disbursed USD 526 thousand of TOSSD for triangular co-operation in 2023.
According to AMEXCID records, Mexico engaged in 19 triangular co-operation projects in 2024; the main areas were agriculture and livestock, the environment, and strengthening institutions and public policies.
Mexico is a core group member of the Global Partnership Initiative on Effective Triangular Co-operation. In 2023, AMEXCID produced a Spotlight paper regarding Mexico’s approach to triangular co-operation projects.
Learn more about triangular co-operation.
The 2011 Law on International Co-operation for Development mandated the federal government to set up a national system for international development co-operation, including an agency (AMEXCID); a national Program of International Cooperation for Development (PROCID); a National Registry of International Development Cooperation (RENCID); and a budgetary account, the International Development Cooperation Trust. This account, however, was discontinued by Congress in 2021, so resources are now being allocated through the annual budget.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has overall responsibility for Mexico’s development co-operation agenda in its dual role as a provider and a recipient of development co-operation, which is co-ordinated by AMEXCID and implemented by a wide variety of public institutions under the premise of development co-operation centered on people and based on results, transparency and effectiveness. AMEXCID is also responsible for generating the tools necessary to programme, co-ordinate, implement, monitor, report on and evaluate Mexico’s international development co-operation.
To meet the provisions of the Law on International Cooperation for Development, AMEXCID co-ordinates the data collection platform, RENCID, on which government agencies register their international development co-operation actions, including: technical and scientific co-operation projects; scholarships granted to foreigners; and monetary contributions to international organisations, financial co-operation, peacekeeping operations and humanitarian aid provided by Mexico.
Moreover, Mexico discloses international development co-operation data to the public through the annual Mexican International Development Cooperation Quantification Report, based on the RENCID database and the Cooperation Catalogue, which collects qualitative and quantitative data on its development co‑operation. AMEXCID has produced a new catalogue that will be released in 2025.
AMEXCID prepared Mexico’s PROCID for the period 2021-24 in consultation with relevant federal government agencies, and for the first time with input from civil society organisations, academia and the private sector, keeping at the centre of its goals progress on achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In the course of 2025, a new PROCID will be produced in line with Mexico’s National Development Plan and the new Foreign Policy Program.
Access the full list of providers at this link: Development Co-operation Profiles.
Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID) website: https://www.gob.mx/amexcid
AMEXCID (2024), Cooperation Report: AMEXCID Annual Report 2024, Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation, https://infoamexcid.sre.gob.mx/consejo/media/documents/hAs1s_111224.pdf
The methodological notes provide further details on the definitions and statistical methodologies applied
GPI (2023), Implementing BAPA+40 through Triangular Co-operation – Case Story: Mexico, https://triangular-cooperation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GPI-Spotlight-Mexico-final.pdf
UNDP (2023), Our Voices from Below: Assessment of the Results of Sowing Life and Youth Building for the Future in El Salvador and Honduras, https://www.undp.org/es/mexico/publicaciones/nuestras-voces-desde-abajo-diagnostico-sobre-los-resultados-de-sembrando-vida-y-jovenes-construyendo-el-futuro-en-el-salvador-y
Mexico has been a member of the OECD since 1994. Mexico is not a member of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC).
Mexico has been an observer to the TOSSD Task Force since 2021 and became a member of the International Forum on TOSSD in 2024. Mexico has been reporting to TOSSD since 2022. It started reporting on 2020 activities on a pilot basis and reports annually to TOSSD as of 2021 activities.
Mexico is an Adherent to the OECD Recommendation of the Council for Development Co-operation Actors on Managing the Risk of Corruption and the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development.
Mexico participated in the first Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) Regional Programme Dialogue on Development Co-operation in 2024 and in the DAC High Level Meeting in 2025.
Mexico hosted the first High-level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co‑operation and has been both a co-chair and a member of its Steering Committee. It is also a founding member of the core group of the Global Partnership Initiative on Effective Triangular Co‑operation.
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← 1. The Mexican methodology for the quantification of international development co-operation includes disbursements on technical and scientific co-operation; scholarships for foreign students from developing countries; co-operation channelled through multilateral institutions focused on promoting development; reimbursable financial co-operation (only the grant element of loans); other non-reimbursable financial co‑operation; and humanitarian aid. It also includes the value of the technical co-operation based on the exchange of public servants who share their experience on the implementation of public policies, institutional or technical management models, or technology developed and/or improved in Mexico.