This week marks the end of my term as treasurer of the Steering Committee of Amnesty International, Mexican A.C. section. It has been an honour to contribute, from this position of high responsibility, to the construction of a global movement that has as its vocation the defence of human dignity.
In this text I want to share what I have learned and give an informal balance of this four-year period (the official report has already been presented to the Assembly). First, I will turn to an image that has accompanied me with particular force and that, I believe, allows us to understand in depth the nature of our movement. From there, I will present the main results obtained within the framework of my responsibilities as treasurer. Although I also participated in other collective tasks of the Steering Committee, these have already been reported in their respective spaces, so here I will focus on the financial and administrative work.
I. A metaphor for understanding movement
I think there is a metaphor that explains well the nature of our movement and that has accompanied me during these four years: that of seeing Amnesty as a tree. Trees are living, deeply resilient organisms that can grow for centuries through a gradual but firm development through layers of cells (bark) that are supported sequentially and gradually strengthen the core of the tree and widen its reach.
Just as the inner rings of a tree tell its story and shape it, so each generation of people who give life to an organization, interweave their steps with the previous ones and leave their own mark. We are just another ring: inevitably conditioned by what came before, responsible for the decisions of the present, and perhaps inspiring what will come next.
It is precisely this intergenerational dependence where the secret of the resilience of trees and organizations lies, since each generation manages to adapt to the conditions of its environment. Hence the saying: “tree that grows crooked”… Because sometimes, in order to continue living, obstacles must be overcome: going around a stone, dodging a river, clinging to a hillside. But always, always, looking for the light. History is not a sentence, but it is support. Each generation starts from where it left off the previous one and does everything possible to take the collective to a new vertical.
Furthermore, let us remember that trees fulfill three ecosystem functions: atmospheric regulation, thermal services and soil stabilization. Similarly, movements such as amnesty refresh the public debate by offering as oxygen studies, proposals and actions that help to dignify the common space. Amnesty International also provides refuge and accompanies those who suffer persecution, those who seek justice. In its “shadow” networks are built, resistance is incubated, the heat of authoritarianism is relieved a little.
Finally, like trees, social organizations build fertile soil. Their presence nourishes the organizational ecosystem, making it easier for other collectives to flourish and put down their own roots for their own struggles. I fully agree with Amnesty’s struggles and methods, but I recognize that there are many ways to promote, resist and fight for human rights. Let us remember that forests exist because trees of different species are connected to each other, through underground networks they communicate, collaborate, warn each other of danger. In the same way, civic space exists because social movements are linked, listened to and accompanied.
Being a part of this movement has been a blessing. Having been part of a strategic body such as the Steering Committee has also been an enormous honour. I entered the position in a very different section from the one I am handing over today. The organization has moved from a questionable and contingent financial situation to solid structures, prudent reserves and a more stable income base. From somewhat improvised internal processes to a more professional structure.
II. Leave a stronger section for those who follow
This evolution is the result of the collective effort of the entire section: the sustained commitment of the governance and the Steering Committee to consolidate a strong association that meets the needs of the country (a vocation promoted by the presidency of Liliana Velázquez), and the process of professionalization of the staff of the National Office (an effort initiated in the direction of Tania Renaum and continued in that of Edith Olivares).
Throughout this four-year term, I was also able to join the vision of two great leaders in our presidency: Marcela Villalobos and David Montoya, each accompanied by committed, diverse and deeply talented Steering Committees. They are the rings that connect this history of evolution. From the treasury I had the opportunity to accompany and promote this organizational development with a clear vision: To build a financial and administrative model that would guarantee autonomy, sustainability and transparency.
One of the main achievements was the attainment of the status of authorized grantee, a long-pursued goal that opens up new possibilities to strengthen growth, broaden the donor base and ensure the financial sustainability of the section.
To meet the new responsibilities that this accreditation implies, we consolidated the outsourcing of accounting services, which made it possible to reduce the administrative burden and guarantee the degree of specialization required. We also restructured and concentrated the section’s bank accounts, facilitating their administration and significantly reducing the payment of unnecessary commissions. We made progress in the discipline of spending and in the institutionalization of key processes.
We kept governance spending below 2% per year, prioritizing investment in advocacy and capacity building activities. We updated financial guidelines to ensure proper use of resources and accountability aligned with current international standards. We also improved the financial management platform, modernizing it with updated security technologies and a better user experience, and we promoted the migration of office services to Microsoft 365, improving the collaboration and efficiency of the national team and communication with the International Secretariat.
In terms of operational scale, the growth was remarkable: the budget went from $23.4 million to $53.9 million pesos. This leap was made possible by a more balanced relationship between international transfers with respect to our sectional objectives and in response to the rights crisis we are experiencing in Mexico. It was also thanks to the sustained growth of local collection, which went from $10.8 million to $14.7 million pesos per year.
The recovery and consolidation of the face-to-face channel and the commitment to closer communication with donors made it possible to increase the average donation and reduce the cancellation rate. Together, we managed to oxygenate finance from the local level, without losing sight of the solidarity interdependence that characterizes our global movement. The final strategic objective remains clear: to build a financially self-sufficient section, capable of contributing resources to the RAM and the FIF, for the benefit of the development of other sections.
At the same time, we set up an operating reserve. At the beginning of the period, the organization lacked a formal support fund and relied exclusively on current liquidity to face contingencies. Today we have reserves that allow us to sustain the operation for more than a month without income. Although clearly insufficient, this advance is politically significant: it represents the ability to sustain our voice in difficult times, to resist without giving up when external pressure intensifies.
From the treasury we also accompanied the review of the salary scale and various measures to improve the working conditions of the staff. We supported the process of moving offices and adapting them to the new space, which included the acquisition of security equipment, computers and furniture necessary to guarantee dignified and functional working conditions. With this, we seek to contribute to the organization being internally coherent with the struggles it wages externally.
Finally, we maintained substantive communication with the governments of the Latin American region, and participated in strategic debates of the movement, such as the LUMEN project, during the annual assembly of the French section in 2024. Of course, in all annual years, unqualified external audits were presented and active accountability was promoted, with periodic financial reports accessible to the entire membership. Pending are the formalization of all administrative processes, the harmonization of the vast internal regulations built over half a century of history and the consolidation of collection platforms.
I close this stage of service leaving a stronger section, more aware of its financial capacity and better prepared to face the uncertainty that will come. I say goodbye with deep gratitude to all the people who made this path possible, because not only is the section different now: so am I.
In particular, I am left with a great debt to Virginia Delgado and, especially, to Beatriz Talavera. The first, head of the administration and finance unit between 2019 and 2023; the second, deputy director of administration since 2023. His commitment, professionalism and ethical sense were fundamental to build the “ring” that we give today to the structure of the section.
Like the trees, may Amnesty’s Mexican section continue to grow, seeking light in times of darkness, putting down deeper roots to sustain hope, and taking injustice personally.