First Annual Meeting of the Mexican-German Digital Dialogue

The first Annual Meeting of the Mexican-German Digital Dialogue brought together more than 70 participants from both countries, joining virtually and on site. High-level government officials, technical experts as well as representatives from the private sector participated. They aimed to evaluate the advancements achieved in the Mexican-German Digital Dialogue and to explore opportunities for collaboration.

The high-level meeting was co-chaired by Vice Minister Rogelio Jiménez Pons (Comunicaciones), Vice Minister Alejandro Encinas (Economía) and State Secretary Stefan Schnorr (BMDV).

Fostering collaboration and a multi-stakeholder approach

During the annual meeting State Secretary Schnorr highlighted the crucial collaboration between Mexico and Germany in shaping digital policy, with a specific emphasis on active engagement from all stakeholders. Vice Minister Encinas underscored the vital link between online information access and fundamental human rights. Vice Minister Jiménez Pons emphasised the importance of a digital policy that narrows the digital divide, ensuring citizens have connectivity and access to information.

Stakeholders from different sectors shared the outcomes of implemented activities in 2023 and discussed key areas of cooperation, such as technology transfer, digitalisation, sustainability, 5G and artificial intelligence. The participants highlighted the importance of the Digital Dialogue as a platform for discussion between different stakeholders of the ecosystem from both countries.

Agreement on key areas of cooperation

Representatives of the three ministries agreed on key areas of cooperation and signed the Work Plan for 2024. It contains three key topics: inclusive digitalisation, digital policy and emerging technologies. The Work Plan addresses cross-cutting issues and specifies objectives and proposed areas of cooperation for each topic. With that, it serves as a guide for collaborative initiatives and promotes the exchange of strategies and best practices regarding digitalisation. The Mexican-German Digital Dialogue aims to foster multi-stakeholder collaboration and to facilitate joint contributions to international forums.

The German delegation visit

Besides the first Annual Meeting, the German delegation, led by State Secretary Schnorr, met with several Mexican organisations. They visited a Mexican data centre, KIO Networks, which is located in the city of Querétaro. Vice Minister Jiménez Pons and  high level government representatives from the State of Querétaro like Minister Marco Antonio del Prete and Vice Minister Genaro Montes from the Ministry of Sustainable Development, and Carlos Salgado Lara, Vice Minister of Information Technologies at the Ministry of Finance, joined the delegation.

The delegation was welcomed by Adriana Rivera, Executive Director of the Mexican Association of Data Centers (MEXDC) and Miguel Ángel Ramos, COO of KIO Networks Mexico. The itinerary featured a tour of KIO Networks' facilities in Querétaro, offering valuable insights into its state-of-the-art technology infrastructure. During this meeting, the representatives of the ministries and the Querétaro government exchanged strategies and priorities regarding data policy and the data centre industry.

Joint efforts for better digital ecosystems

The German delegation also engaged in an insightful exchange with Salma Jalife and Alberto Farca from Centro México Digital (CMD). CMD is a non-profit civil society organisation that carries out studies and projects to promote digitalisation in Mexico. During the meeting, Ms Jalife and Mr Farca provided a comprehensive overview of CMD's mission, mechanisms and their collaboration with state governments, private enterprises and educational institutions. They highlighted the significance of CMD's annual report, the State Digital Development Index (IDDE). Published annually since 2021, the IDDE assesses the digitalisation progress of Mexico's federal entities. It also offers inclusive strategies for the enhancement of connectivity and digitalisation across the country.

Overall, during the delegation trip all involved stakeholders demonstrated a strong commitment on deepening bilateral exchange and cooperation on digital policy and digital excellence. Looking forward, the Mexican-German Digital Dialogue is set to become a driving force, boosting bilateral exchange and cooperation. With a focus on mutual benefit, innovation, and connectivity, this collaboration lays a solid groundwork for the continued progress of digitalisation in both Mexico and Germany.