Monday, December 4, 2017
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto Sets Course for 2018
Office of the Mexican Presidency
- Accompanied by members of his Legal and Expanded Cabinet, President Enrique Peña Nieto defined the priorities for 2018.
- He instructed
public servants to continue working and redouble efforts to combat insecurity; conclude the implementation of the New Education
Model; reduce poverty; deepen the economic transformation; and strengthen Mexico's presence in the world.
President Enrique Peña Nieto met [on December 1] with government officials at
the National Palace to deliver a speech at the beginning of his sixth year in office. The president defined the priorities
for 2018, with the aim of achieving the goals set at the beginning of this administration.
He urged the agencies
responsible to redouble efforts in surveillance and combating crime, mainly in the 50 municipalities with the highest homicide
rates. He underlined the importance of maintaining the institutional strengthening of local police forces, making the adjustments
required to streamline operation of the Accusatory Criminal Justice System, and meeting pending human rights commitments.
He explained that work must be done to consolidate the National Anticorruption System and the National Transparency System
in order to achieve the professional, integral and effective public service citizens demand.
Regarding education,
the president declared that the main task for 2018 will be to conclude implementation of the Professional Teaching Service
and the New Education Model, including the Study Plans and Curricular Proposal for the next school year. and to expedite the
improvement of school infrastructure.
President Peña Nieto said that one of the greatest challenges
we face as a nation is to alleviate poverty. The National Inclusion Strategy must therefore be consolidated to continue reducing
social deprivation. We must also advance the strengthening of preventive medicine programs, and improve the quality and warmth
of medical services and universal health coverage.
With regards to economic affairs, the president prioritized
the expansion of the transformation undertaken for five years, together with macroeconomic stability based on healthy public
finances. He said that authorities should conclude the investments in the Special Economic Zones and the trade negotiations
underway with countries in North America, Asia and Europe, as well as with Brazil and Argentina.
He announced that the
commitments to rebuild the states affected by the earthquakes in September will be met, with the committed work of all the
agencies involved.
The president asked government officials to consolidate Mexico as a country with global
responsibility, diversifying and strengthening our presence and exchanges in other regions, and to continue to fully assume
our multilateral commitments. He said that priority will be given to programs for the Mexican community in the United States
and the creation of opportunities for those who return to our country.
President Peña Nieto thanked members
of the Federal Public Administration who, through their efforts and commitment, have enabled Mexico to achieve key goals such
as creating 3.3 million jobs, enabling 2 million people to emerge from extreme poverty, and strengthening Mexican state institutions.
He
also thanked the public servants who have allowed Mexico to play an active role in the causes that are crucial to mankind,
such as implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement. The president welcomed the
recent signing of the declaration of the Revillagigedo National Park, applauded by the international community, as well
as the tripling of Mexican territory dedicated to the conservation of its natural resources.
President Enrique Peña
Nieto concluded by saying that Mexico cannot stop, let alone reverse the transformation it has undertaken. He said that, as
public servants, all members of his administration must continue to offer tangible results to the population and inform citizens
in a timely manner about the great public work of which they form part.
All this, he explained, will be carried
out within the framework of the largest electoral process in the history of Mexico, with every public servant working from
his sphere of responsibility, so that the 2018 elections will serve as an exemplary day of democracy.
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Presidency of the
Republic, Dec. 1, 2017, Mexico City; translation by Presidency of the Republic
