PBI’s activities in Mexico began shortly after the Zapatista uprising in 1994, when PBI received requests for an international civil presence in Chiapas. PBI understood that the international accompaniment work that had been developed in Central America – mostly in Guatemala and El Salvador – could be put to use in Mexico. Following a series of exploratory missions, the PBI General Assembly opened the Mexico Project in 1998.

Although accompaniment requests had been received largely from organizations in Chiapas, the pbi Mexico Project was born with the initial goal of acting in the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, where the presence of international organizations was more limited. Chiapas already had representation from a wide variety of international organizations and groups, all with different mandates and goals. After careful analysis, pbi considered that it could best have an impact in Chiapas by participating in sipaz (International Service for Peace), a coalition of international organizations. As in Chiapas, serious human rights violations had also been documented in Guerrero and in Oaxaca by international organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch,
resulting in the fragmentation of the social fabric of civil society.

PBI’s work in Guerrero began with the accompaniment of The Voice for Those Without a Voice Human Rights Committee. Since then, PBI has accompanied numerous organizations in Guerrero and several organizations in Oaxaca.
The United Mexican States (Mexico) is a federation made up of one Federal District and 31 state entities; Guerrero is one of these entities. As a free and sovereign state with its own constitution and congress, Guerrero is territorially divided into 81 municipalities, each with autonomy to elect a town council and municipal president. The municipalities are integrated into seven regions: Acapulco, Centro, Norte, Tierra Caliente, Costa Grande, Costa Chica and Montaña.

PBI’s evaluation of the socio-political situation in Mexico recognizes that conflicts in Mexico are complex and long lasting, and that there are profound social and regional inequalities in the country. Many of these conflicts are due to disputes
over land and natural resources, and multinational companies and state-sponsored businesses are often involved.The existence of a federal structure combined with a high level of state and municipal autonomy plays an important role in the state’s political and human rights conflicts.
Although federal, state, and local governments are linked, they are each characterized by unique dynamics and respond to different interests.

PBI Mexico currently has a team of 8 volunteers based in Chilpancingo, Guerrero, and a coordinating office in Mexico City. The project coordinator and the project committee are located outside of Mexico.