IMSS Updates Equality Policy in Human Rights Committee Session

The Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) held its first ordinary session of the Human Rights Committee for 2025, approving a set of actions aimed at strengthening labor equality, non-discrimination, and the protection of rights across the institution.

The session, chaired by Zoé Robledo, Director General, IMSS, and held at the institute’s Technical Council chamber, focused on reinforcing human rights as a central pillar of social security and health services for both beneficiaries and IMSS employees. Officials say the measures seek to ensure that social security and access to health care function as effective rights throughout the institution.

During the meeting, IMSS presented an updated version of its Labor Equality and Non-Discrimination Policy, which incorporates changes stemming from recent constitutional reforms related to the protection of women’s rights. The update is intended to promote substantive equality, reduce wage gaps, and ensure that institutional processes produce equitable outcomes in access to opportunities, professional development, and decision-making roles.

Robledo says the Human Rights Committee serves its purpose when it allows the institution to assess progress in actions and programs designed to advance human rights. He adds that IMSS plays a guarantor role by enabling Mexicans to exercise their rights through social security coverage and health services.

He also highlights the role of the Human Rights Unit, created in 2022, noting that its work goes beyond responding to recommendations and complaints. According to Robledo, the unit contributes to a broader cultural shift within IMSS toward a more inclusive and rights-based institutional approach.

Norma López, Legal Director, IMSS, says the institute is working to align every process and service with the principles of universality, non-discrimination, and respect for diversity. She stresses that human rights must remain at the core of institutional actions and that IMSS cannot function without their full exercise at all levels and for all people.

López notes that IMSS has made progress in implementing specific protocols to serve groups in vulnerable situations and in providing ongoing staff training to ensure services free from violence and discrimination. She adds that these efforts are supported by specialized areas, including the Human Rights Unit, which handles sensitive cases and complaints through trained personnel. These actions are complemented by the “Amparo Cero” strategy, designed to identify and address the root causes of user grievances.

Jorge Marengo, Head, Human Rights Unit, says the approval of the updated policy modernizes a key institutional tool for ensuring workplaces free of violence and discrimination. He explains that the policy, in force since 2016 and aligned with the Mexican standard NMX-R-025-SCFI-2015, was revised to reflect recent constitutional reforms on women’s rights.

According to Marengo, the update strengthens IMSS’s commitment to substantive equality, equal access to human rights, and the consolidation of an organizational culture based on inclusion and respect for diversity.

Labour Rights are Core Human Rights

Recently, international labour and human rights bodies underscored the role of labour rights within the global human rights framework during a meeting convened by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN human rights treaty monitoring bodies, and the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights. The discussion marked the first formal exchange among these groups, reflecting a coordinated effort to advance state accountability, corporate responsibility, and access to remedy.

Participants examined how their mandates intersect in the oversight of labour and human rights obligations. They called on governments to uphold both sets of commitments and reiterated that businesses share responsibility in preventing rights abuses across supply chains and operations. The dialogue focused on how international standards can be more effectively implemented and translated into enforcement, particularly in contexts where labour and human rights risks overlap.

Alain Lacabarats, Chairperson, ILO Committee of Experts, says the meeting created an opportunity to exchange practices and strengthen cooperation. He notes that aligning approaches can support the application of international labour standards and improve coordination with UN bodies charged with monitoring treaty compliance.

Labour rights are universal human rights, says Changrok Soh, Chair, Human Rights Committee. The organization’s joint objective is to ensure that the business and human rights framework grounded in the state duty to protect, and the corporate responsibility to respect, is consistently implemented, he adds.