UK Minister for the Americas travels to Honduras
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), David Rutley, will travel to Honduras on 18 April.
This is Minister Rutley’s first visit to the country and the second by a British Minister since 2016. His visit is part of a regional tour that will take him to the Central American Northern Triangle (Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador).
His visit will focus on strengthening UK ties with Honduras as well as discussing a wide range of international issues, such as the war in Ukraine, free trade, regional stability and climate change, amongst others. For this purpose, Minister Rutley will meet:
- Honduran Government officials
- The Central American Bank of Economic Intergration –CABEI
- Civil society representatives
- Business leaders
On Ukraine, Minister Rutley will stress the need for countries stand together against the war while commending Honduras’ role at the UN’s Human Rights Council. Latin America is suffering from the fallout from Putin’s war in terms of higher energy, food and fertiliser prices, which feed into higher prices across the board.
At meetings with representatives of the Central American Bank of Economic Integration (CABEI), Minister Rutley will stress the UK is keen to support the infrastructure development that the region needs with UK expertise and finance, including investments from the private sectors. He will make the case for Honduras continue boosting trade with the UK through the UK-Central America Association Agreement.
On climate change, Minister Rutley will urge Honduras to continue playing an active role in cutting emissions and transitioning to clean energy. These plans will complement the UK’s investment of US$19 million in Mesoamerica, including Trifinio and la Mosquitia in Honduras, through the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund, to reduce poverty and create climate resilience.
At meetings with civil society groups, Minister Rutley will stress the unequivocal UK commitment to protect human rights, ranging from the situation of media freedom in the country, to listening to human rights defenders and continue advocating for the rights of vulnerable minorities.