The new nongovernmental organizations (NGO) formed important networks among sectors such as human rights, environment protection, housing, community health, grassroots economic-development support work, and alternative public policy at the local and national level. The economic liberalization promoted by Carlos Salinas de Gortari and Ernesto Zedillo gave birth to the transformation of the international priorities of the Mexican government; specifically, economic issues became the main focus of foreign policy. Red Mexicana de Accion Frente al Libre Comercio (RMALC) concern about North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was based both on the negative experience of Canadian workers with the earlier US-Canada free trade agreement. The most important success for the NGOs was when the Mexican authorities recognized the jurisdiction of the Human Rights Inter-American Court. On March 23, 2000, despite initial reservations about accepting the democratic clause, the Mexican president declared the successful conclusion of the free trade agreement with the European Union.
