Mexico - National Digital Strategy (2021-2024)

Overview

The Acuerdo por el que se expide la Estrategia Digital Nacional 2021-2024 (EDN) is an executive-level strategy instrument issued by the Coordinación de Estrategia Digital Nacional within the Office of the Presidency. Signed on 15 August 2021 and published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación on 6 September 2021, the EDN is mandatory for all federal departments and entities and functions as a government-wide roadmap for digitalization, connectivity and information security. The EDN links directly to the Plan Nacional de Desarrollo 2019-2024 and prioritizes closing the digital divide through projects such as "Internet para todos," optimizing government digital services, promoting open standards and software, protecting information security, and pursuing technological sovereignty. The official text is published in the Mexican government record; see the official publication at Diario Oficial de la Federación (DOF), 6 Sept 2021 and the hosted text at SIDOF / Secretaría de Gobernación.

Definitions

For the EDN: "EDN" means Estrategia Digital Nacional 2021-2024. "APF" means Administración Pública Federal (federal departments and entities). "Internet para todos" refers to the government priority project to expand public wireless Internet coverage nationwide and coordinate last-mile access. "Sovereignty/Autonomy (soberanía tecnológica / autonomía tecnológica)" refers to public policy objectives to reduce dependence on proprietary vendors and promote national capacity and open technologies. "Principles" denotes the five foundational policy principles (austerity, anti-corruption, process efficiency, information security, and technological sovereignty). The Acuerdo uses these terms to align obligations and lines of action to those concepts across federal agencies.

Governance and Institutional Framework

The EDN designates the Coordinación de Estrategia Digital Nacional (CEDN) as the central coordinating body responsible for elaboration, coordination and follow-up of the strategy in accordance with the Reglamento de la Oficina de la Presidencia de la República. The Acuerdo makes the EDN of obligatory observance for all APF dependencias and entidades, requiring them to integrate the EDN's mission, vision, axes, principles, objectives and lines of action into their internal planning and operations. Implementation governance relies on inter-institutional coordination between the CEDN and line ministries (e.g., communications, health, education, finance) and on collaboration with state and municipal actors, public enterprises such as CFE Telecomunicaciones e Internet para Todos, scientific and technological institutions, civil society and the private sector. The CEDN's public presence and activities are summarized on the government portal; see the CEDN page at Coordinación de Estrategia Digital Nacional (gob.mx) for organizational context and contact points.

Key Focus Areas

The EDN organizes its action under two principal axes: (I) Digital Policy in the Federal Public Administration and (II) Social Digital Policy. Under these axes the strategy articulates nine specific objectives with lines of action focused on: universal connectivity and "Internet para todos" (deploying wireless Internet in roads, public plazas, health centers, schools and community spaces); integration and use of public fiber infrastructure and interconnection of government networks; prioritization of open standards and software libre where functionally appropriate; digital transformation and end-to-end simplification of public procedures to improve service quality and combat corruption; enhanced interoperability of systems and data-sharing protocols; information security, incident management and risk-based defenses; promotion of inclusion policies (digital literacy, accessibility, special attention to vulnerable populations); capacity-building and reuse of open-source code and public goods; and alignment with the Plan Nacional de Desarrollo 2019-2024. The strategy also instructs the optimization of institutional ICT procurement, rationalization of equipment and avoidance of unjustified upgrades, consistent with austerity and transparency obligations.

Implementation Framework

Implementation is delegated to the CEDN for coordination and follow-up, while line ministries and entities must adapt the EDN to their specific missions and programs. The Acuerdo establishes that the EDN is binding and that inconsistent administrative provisions are void. The strategy emphasizes a project-based approach (e.g., the national fiber network, Internet para todos), inter-agency agreements, reuse of government assets, and public procurement aligned with open-source prioritization as permitted by applicable procurement rules. The EDN envisions technical standards, interoperability protocols and shared services to lower duplication and promote efficient resource use; these are to be operationalized via internal regulations, technical guidelines and inter-institutional coordination mechanisms led by the CEDN and participating agencies.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The Acuerdo sets general obligations for the CEDN to monitor and give follow-up to the strategy but does not include a detailed, centralized monitoring instrument in the Acuerdo text itself. Monitoring is expected to be carried out through periodic reporting by agencies, inter-agency coordination forums and project-specific indicators (e.g., connectivity coverage metrics, number of digital services simplified, adoption of open standards). Agencies are required to align their objectives and provide information to support evaluation, while the CEDN coordinates cross-cutting assessments and adjustment of lines of action. For operational evaluation, agencies must rely on existing performance and budgetary oversight mechanisms, and on public transparency channels to report progress and results.

Penalties, Liability, and Appeals

The Acuerdo does not prescribe new criminal sanctions or administrative fines within its text; it declares the EDN mandatory for the APF and voids inconsistent administrative provisions. Enforcement therefore depends on existing administrative responsibility frameworks, procurement and budgeting rules, and sectoral laws (for example, rules governing data protection, cybersecurity obligations, and administrative sanctions under applicable statutes). Where agencies fail to comply, potential consequences flow from internal administrative proceedings, oversight audits and applicable sanctions under federal law. The Acuerdo itself does not create a dedicated appeals mechanism; affected parties must rely on ordinary administrative remedies and legal procedures available under Mexican administrative law.

Relationship to Other Instruments

The EDN explicitly references and derives authority from the Plan Nacional de Desarrollo 2019-2024 and from statutory provisions including the Ley Orgánica de la Administración Pública Federal, the Ley Federal de Procedimiento Administrativo, the Reglamento de la Oficina de la Presidencia de la República, and the Ley Federal de Austeridad Republicana. The strategy is intended to align and harmonize ICT-related policies across these existing frameworks rather than to replace sectoral regulation. It also interfaces with sector-specific laws on telecommunications, data protection and cybersecurity and is intended to guide federal action consistent with constitutional provisions such as Article 6 (access to information and communications) and Article 3 (right to benefit from science and innovation).

International Alignment

While primarily domestic in scope, the EDN underscores international engagement and alignment on issues such as cybersecurity, digital inclusion and technological standards. The CEDN participates in international fora and dialogues (e.g., regional government-digital ministerial meetings) and the EDN frames technological sovereignty in a way that complements cooperation with international partners on best practices, interoperability and security. The strategy encourages adoption of recognized international standards and collaboration with multilateral and bilateral partners for capacity building and infrastructure projects while preserving national decision-making and autonomy in technology selection.

Implementation Timeline

Sources and References