All Grupo México actions are held to the principles of shared responsibility, inclusion, participatory communication, transparency, empathy and congruence. We are committed to the fundamental principle of respecting the human rights of all individuals, independent of our legal obligations.

In particular, and as stated in our Human Rights Policy, we respect the rights of indigenous peoples in adherence of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, implementing measures that are culturally appropriate and valuing diversity as social wealth.

Our institutional framework includes a Human Rights Policy based on international standards, such as ILO Convention 169, and a specific policy on Respect for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Communities. Furthermore, we have implemented an Indigenous Peoples Engagement Protocol, developed by a third-party expert. This protocol guides our staff’s management and engagement with indigenous peoples who could be impacted by our operations and projects and incorporates phases similar to those contemplated by Free, Prior, and and Informed Consent (FPIC).

Our General Policy on Respect for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Communities was developed with the technical support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). In it, we reaffirm our commitment to actively collaborate with authorities, where applicable and in accordance with each country’s legal framework, in Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes.

1. 1. Additionally, we have permanent citizen participation mechanisms that allow us to maintain an open and constant channel of dialogue with communities. These include:
      1. Support and Attention Center
      2. Participatory consultation diagnoses
      3. Transparent communication of various operational stages
      4. Collaborative citizen committees
      5. Perception studies
      6. Multisectoral regional development plans

All our energy projects include detailed Social Impact Assessments. These assessments contain specific sections dedicated to community characterization, which allows us to thoroughly understand their social and cultural context.

During the construction and operation phases of our projects, in both the Mexican and Peruvian units of the Mining Division and those of the Infrastructure Division, we conduct participatory social diagnoses. These diagnoses are updated every two years and aim primarily to proactively mitigate negative impacts and enhance positive ones. They are based on the methodology of the Social Impact Assessments promoted by the Ministry of Energy for the energy sector in Mexico, and the Environmental Impact Assessment of the National Environmental Certification Service of the Ministry of the Environment in Peru.

Acknowledging that indigenous peoples and communities have particular sociocultural characteristics and that they hold specific rights, our engagement with indigenous peoples and communities must be based on respect, good faith and building mutual trust.

We adopt the principle of cultural relevance through our Community Development Model and to ensure harmonious and sustainable relationships with shared responsibility with indigenous communities. This cross-cutting (from start to finish of the activities related to our projects) principle of cultural relevance means recognizing, respecting and considering in each activity, the community context in all its dimensions (social, cultural, environmental, spiritual).

Our lines of action to promote cultural relevance include:

1. Promote multiculturalism.
2. Know and respect the cultural characteristics of the communities and promote their rights.
3. Promote inclusive practices to prevent any type of discrimination.
4. Design and disseminate clear information in keeping with the culture of the community.

In support of dialoguing in good faith, respecting equality and ensuring timely access to information, we design and disseminate information about our projects with the aim of guaranteeing access and understanding of this information for the indigenous communities involved.

We use different communication tools, including community tools, audiovisual media, printed informational materials, community radio and loud speakers, among others, to convey information in a timely, transparent, clear and understandable manner, ensuring the information materials are available in the appropriate languages for each community.

Our principal communication tool is our Community Care Service. See details in Contact.

Indigenous consultation:

• The right to consultation is a right of the indigenous peoples and communities that the State must guarantee through appropriate procedures, and in particular, through the State agencies, whenever there is consideration of legislative changes or development plans or projects that could directly affect the rights or interests of indigenous peoples or communities.
• Although the State is responsible for implementing indigenous consultation processes, Grupo México has adopted the commitment to promote and assist governments in applying the commitments outlined in Convention 169 to guarantee respect for the right of indigenous peoples and communities to prior, free and informed consultation when they may be impacted by any project or action.
• Applies in countries that have signed onto ILO Convention 169, which in the case of Grupo México, means Mexico, Peru and Spain.

Important: The Mexican legislatures are currently working on a Right to Consultation Law for Indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples and communities. Indigenous consultation for all productive sectors is supported by Article 2 of the Mexican Constitution, International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 169 concerning indigenous and tribal peoples in independent countries, and also the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Our Engagement with Indigenous Communities Protocol was  designed for our Mining and Infrastructure divisions and is aligned to our Code of Ethics.

In general, this Protocol supports us to:

1. Identify the indigenous communities and their characteristics.
2. Establish the first approach to the community.
3. Define agreements for future engagement together with the community.
4. Design a mechanism for addressing grievances, together with the community.
5. Prepare social impact assessments.
6. Collaborate on indigenous consultation processes or implement a participative mechanism based on the exchange of information.
7. Define the social benefits together with the communities.
8. Comply with agreements and ensure continuity in our community engagement.
9. Periodically evaluate our actions in relation to the communities.

Of note is that one of the main characteristics of the Protocol is its flexibility, adapting to each context and defining the details of its application on a case-by-case basis, and in each community independently.