Mateo A. Castillo Ceja was the head of the Coordinating Unity of Social Participation and Transparency in the Ministry of Environment of Mexico. Previously he served as president of the Ecological State Council of Michoacán, Mexico, and, with many others, has instigated processes of social participation in the development of environmental public policies for a sustainable Mexico.
He is an altruistic person who takes part in the world’s humanitarian movement. He is considered a national expert in the implementation of local Agenda 21 (an action plan that emerged from UNCED). He has been a representative of civil society in Mexico in many forums and international summits. Castillo is the main developer in Mexico of the Earth Charter and the founder of the National Secretariat. He was awarded the Citizen Merit Prize in 2003, and in 2004 he received an honorary mention in the National Prize for Ecological Merit. In 2005, he was awarded the Maximo Kalaw Award for his work in promoting the Earth Charter in Mexico. Mr. Castillo holds a Master’s degree in quality and competitiveness and is a biochemist in the area of pharmacology.