Mexico City, August 22, 2026 – The Mexico City Congress is currently reviewing a legislative proposal aimed at implementing mandatory and periodic certifications for public service personnel. This initiative seeks to combat mistreatment and enhance the overall experience for citizens conducting government procedures and requesting public services across the capital and its 16 boroughs.
Legislative Push for Professionalization in Citizen Services
Deputy Erika Lizeth Rosales Medina has put forth a proposal to amend Article 14 of the capital’s Digital Operation and Innovation Law. The core of her initiative is to mandate regular evaluations of knowledge and competencies for all public servants who interact directly with citizens. This move comes in response to persistent complaints regarding the quality of public service and the lack of a standardized professional profile for those in citizen-facing roles.
Currently, the legal framework in Mexico City does not require public servants in citizen attention roles to possess specific academic or professional qualifications aligned with their duties. Rosales Medina argues that this regulatory gap significantly impacts the quality of service, creating a disparity between established norms and the daily experiences of citizens navigating bureaucratic processes.
“Citizen attention constitutes one of the most relevant functions of public administration, as it is the means by which people exercise their rights and access the procedures and services provided by the Government of Mexico City and its boroughs,” stated the legislator from the Progressive Parliamentary Association of Transformation.
Addressing the Gap: From Seniority to Merit-Based Accreditation
The proposed reform highlights a critical flaw in the current accreditation system, which primarily considers an employee’s tenure or seniority within a department. This approach, according to Rosales Medina, neglects the continuous evaluation of skills and knowledge, thereby deprioritizing professional development and ongoing improvement. The consequence is often poor treatment, errors, or inadequate responses to the public.
In her submission to the Permanent Commission, Rosales Medina emphasized, “a critical gap still persists between the normative design of institutions and the daily experience of citizens when carrying out a procedure or requesting a public service.” The initiative has been forwarded to the Local Public Administration Commission for further analysis and potential dictation.
The absence of a comprehensive certification system means there is no legal guarantee that personnel are adequately trained, capacitated, and updated to perform their duties correctly at service windows or direct attention areas.
Mandatory Certification: A Path to Professionalized Attention
The deputy’s proposal grants new powers to the Digital Agency for Public Innovation (ADIP) to establish, implement, and oversee a System for the Professionalization of Citizen Attention Personnel. This reform aims to shift the basis of job accreditation from mere seniority or permanence to merit, through periodic evaluations of knowledge and competencies.
Rosales Medina specified that the reform seeks to establish “job profiles, periodic accreditation or certification mechanisms through constant evaluation of knowledge and competencies, as well as permanent training and updating programs, so that said job accreditation is granted based on merit, without seniority or permanence in the area constituting, by themselves, a criterion for its granting.”
By implementing these measures, the legislator intends to ensure that public servants not only meet formal requirements but also possess the necessary knowledge and skills to respond effectively and professionally to the needs of the capital’s residents. This move is expected to bridge the gap between regulatory frameworks and citizen experiences, with the ultimate goal of preventing mistreatment at service windows and fostering greater trust in public services across Mexico City.
The initiative aims to strengthen citizen attention, thereby closing the distance between regulations and people’s experiences. The expectation is that mandatory certification will help prevent mistreatment at service windows and increase confidence in public services in Mexico City.
