Good evening, everyone.  I am delighted to host this reception   in honor of the alumni of the United States Department of Agriculture’s COCHRAN Fellowship Program.  Tonight, we celebrate the success of this long-standing Program that helps strengthen U.S.-Honduran bilateral ties.     As you all know, the.  Cochran Program is designed to provide short term training opportunities in the United States for government officials, academic professionals, …

How impressive is it that more than half a century after his passing, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. can still rally people in pursuit of a more just and equitable society!    Today, we celebrate and reflect on the life and work of Dr. King – a distinguished leader of the U.S. civil rights movement.  I …

Thanks Dany.    The education challenges that Honduras faces are too great for a single government, a single donor, or a single company to solve.    That is why we are here today. It is wonderful to see the boys, girls, youth, parents, and teachers here.    Also, to the authorities of the Government of Honduras, members of …

¡Buenas tardes a todas y todos! During Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to Tegucigalpa for the historic inauguration of President Castro, they announced the bilateral strategic dialogue.   After some months of planning, the first dialogue took place last April in Washington, D.C. shortly after I arrived as the U.S. Ambassador to Honduras.  That was nearly …

Buenos dias a todos y todas!      Foreign Minister Reina, Minister Cardona, and Presidential Secretary Zelaya, muchas gracias for the invitation, your warm welcome, and for hosting these important dialogues.  I value our strong relationship and look forward to continuing this throughout my time here in Honduras.  The U.S. government delegation in attendance at today’s …

On several occasions I have noted the importance of reforms to improve the business climate to attract foreign investment. And today, I start my day noticing that Honduras is the first country in the region to integrate computer systems where border institutions work together to review and dispatch products. That is an impressive achievement that …

I thought this visit was going to be my first time in Copan Ruinas. But when I arrived yesterday, I realized that I came here 31 years ago. I was on my first assignment with the Foreign Service, at our Embassy in El Salvador. I see that now as before, the ruins are impressive! Every …

Today we commemorate the eighth day of our activism campaign against gender-based violence. However, this campaign should not be limited to 16 days. The fight must be constant every day of the year. Gender-based violence is a serious problem in Honduras. I recently traveled to Roatán and was impressed by the number of people who …

Ladies and Gentlemen. Hungry children cannot learn or concentrate on their studies. The US Department of Agriculture’s McGovern Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program is working on both issues: hunger and education. Honorable President of the Terra Foundation, Freddy Nasser; Mrs. María del Carmen Nasser Executive Vice President of the Terra Foundation; members …

Good morning to all. Today we live in a world that is constantly changing. Success in this dynamic world requires skills that previously existed only in our imaginations. Training in the digital field is key to international competitiveness, and I am very happy to see the commitment of everyone here to strengthen education in this …

Happy Birthday, Marines! Good evening everyone. I am so happy you are here to celebrate the 247th birthday of the United States Marine Corps! I know we are all happy to be able to celebrate in person for the first time since the pandemic began. Because we have some guests who do not speak English, …

We are on board [a 70 thousand-ton ship] of assistance that came in response to President Castro’s request to help the people of Honduras. I am proud that the USNS Comfort is here today. The Comfort ship arrived in Honduras to provide medical assistance, strengthen the health system, and help respond to natural disasters. This …

Hello. I would like to thank Minister Barquero and Minister Medina for the invitation to participate in this event. It is a pleasure to be here with my friend Ambassador Mario Canahauti. Many thanks also to Mr. Richard Baratha for the support given to the United Nations Development Program for this project that we are …

The world is complicated with many challenges such as the closure of civic spaces, threats to freedom of expression and loss of trust in democracy and democratic institutions.  We see leaders selling the idea that to solve problems they must have more power instead of strengthening institutions and eliminating corruption.  We see governments attacking the …

During the last few weeks there has been a lot of news about the relationship between the United States and Honduras. So, I thought I’d take this opportunity to clarify what the United States is working on. Our focus is on building prosperity, improving security, and strengthening democracy to benefit both countries. With international companies …

We are all the same.  It is a principle that I truly believe in my heart.  No one should feel more than another person and no one should be seen as less under any circumstances.  Unfortunately, this is not a reality.  We live in a world where we doubt someone’s ability just because they have …

Murder, rape, kidnapping, extortion, robbery, forced prostitution, human trafficking. Distinguished prosecutors and law enforcement officers from Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Panama and colleagues from the United States Department of Justice, Department of State, and Department of Homeland Security. These are some of the crimes that you prevent with your …

One of the things I like most about Honduras is its food. I love the warm tortillas with cheese, the baleadas with butter and grated cheese, and the sweet plantains with cream. Well, so many things that I’d better stop because it’s going to make us all hungry here! As we can see, dairy products …

Thanks Claudia. Goodnight everyone. 1982 was an incredible year. Singer Michael Jackson released his album “Thriller.” That record made Michael a superstar and has sold 70 million copies worldwide. In the same year, AT&T’s monopoly breakup was ordered. The famous movie “E.T.” debuted in theaters. And in 1982 AmCham started with 19 affiliated companies. Today, …

I am going to share with you a very fascinating fact: Did you know that 70 percent of planet Earth is water? And that 60 percent of the human body is water, too? Furthermore, only 3 percent of the world’s water is fresh. So, it’s no secret: water is life! Not just for drinking, but …

Hello! Have you heard of Jeff Bezos? He had the idea of selling books online in 1997. Today his company is one of the most important in the world. Do you know what company he founded? Amazon. And what about Larry Page and Sergey Brin? They founded Google. President Biden shared that “the spirit of …

We learned about the case of an elderly woman with a hip fracture, without relatives and without financial resources to buy a plate to repair her hip bone. The HEART team purchased a plate, through U.S. Southern Command Overseas Humanitarian and Civic Aid funds, and HEART orthopedic surgeons along with a Honduran orthopedic doctor were …

An Armed Forces mission that does not protect people’s human rights is not a successful mission. The Honduran Armed Forces understand this because between 1995 and 1997, they helped develop the Human Rights Initiative Consensus document. Mr. Minister of Defense, José Manuel Zelaya Rosales; Minister of Human Rights, Natalie Roque Sandoval; Chief of the Hoduran …

I want to share the story of 3 young Honduran women, single mothers, unemployed, with family problems from the city of Amapala. They were victims of a false job offer by a Honduran, who offered them a job cleaning houses and in a restaurant. However, when they showed up to work, the individual kidnapped them …

The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs is already accepting applications for the next edition. We are growing and women entrepreneurs in the communities of La Esperanza, Santa Barbara, Tocoa, and Roatán can now participate for the first time. And we are opening the program again in San Pedro Sula, Santa Rosa de Copán, Siguatepeque, Juticalpa, Choluteca, …

Thanks Claudia. Goodnight everyone. It is a pleasure to be here with AmCham in Tegucigalpa. Time flies, and today is exactly three months since I arrived in Honduras. In these three months I have made an effort to learn as much as possible about all aspects of life in Honduras. If you have seen my …

Hello, One of the greatest rewards of my job is getting to know the people who benefit from our projects. On one of my trips to San Pedro Sula, I met Atanasia, a Garífuna woman from Cusuna, Colón. She is part of a group of 150 Garífuna women who, thanks to the help of USAID, …

Welcome to our Fourth of July celebration. This year, we commemorate the 246th anniversary of the independence of the United States of America. I arrived in this beautiful country only three months ago, and in this short time I have learned and experienced many things in Honduras. Thanks to everyone who has recommended places to …

Good afternoon everyone! I want to thank my colleagues from USAID and AMEXCID for participating in today’s event. The agreement between the United States and Mexico, signed in June of last year, marks an important step forward in bilateral and regional cooperation. This is the kind of cooperation we need to address some of the …

Buenas tardes!  I am Laura Dogu, the U.S. Ambassador to Honduras. Today I come to congratulate you for having completed the Laspau certification in “University Teaching in Virtual Environments.” We hope the training has met your expectations. We thank the Laspau team for designing and coordinating the program.   Through this program, the United States invested more than 4.2 …

June 14, 2022 Good morning! Why are we here today? Did you know that 54% of the rural population in Honduras does not have access to electricity? Without electricity, there is no access to modern medical services. There is no light for the children to do their homework. There are no refrigerators in the houses. …

Good afternoon. My colleagues in the diplomatic corps – are you ready for the competition? I say this because not only are our Special Forces competing, we are also competing. And I’m going with Team USA. But I am also supporting the Catracho team. Mr. Private Secretary of the Presidency, Hector Zelaya; Mr. Undersecretary of …

June 9, 2022 Good morning. Do you remember from your childhood the game of “passing the message”? Where you’d pass a message to someone, and they’d pass it to the next person, and on down the chain? How was the message by the end? Same or different? Vice Minister Redondo, Licenciado Zelaya, In my experience, …

I don’t know about you, but personally I am looking forward to the day I can go back to the supermarket, to church, and to the movies without so many restrictions. The only way we can achieve this is if we all get vaccinated. Minister of Health Matheu, Director of the PAI, Dr. María Elena …

Happy graduation day, Discovery School Seniors! I am Laura Dogu, the U.S. Ambassador to Honduras. Thank you for the opportunity to join your celebration. Congratulations on achieving this milestone! Despite the challenges caused by the ongoing pandemic, you pushed through. Your hard work has paid off, and your future is bright. You have studied hard …

Hyatt Hotel, Tegucigalpa May 30, 2022 Good morning everyone! Let me begin by saying that it is an honor for me to address you at this meeting. And I want to take this opportunity to thank the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for organizing this important event, the launching of the MENTHOR project. …

Friday May 27, 2022 Your excellency, Mr. Chancellor Enrique Reina, Ministers, Diplomatic Corps and special guests, Good afternoon. Thank you to everyone who accepted our invitation to commemorate the completion of a major phase of the construction of the new facilities of the U.S. Embassy. We are here to celebrate an important moment in the …

May 26, 2022 Good evening American School of Tegucigalpa! I’m Laura Dogu, the U.S. Ambassador to Honduras. Thank you for the opportunity to join your celebration. I wish I could be with you in person, but I am happy to join you virtually. Congratulations on completing high school! That alone is no easy feat, but you achieved …

Thank you Peter, for the warm introduction.   Ambassador Popp, Chargé d’Affaires O’Brien and BCIU members.   Good afternoon to all.   My colleagues and I appreciate the opportunity to speak with BCIU members about this important region.  In particular, I appreciate the opportunity to speak about the challenges and opportunities in Honduras. I have only been in Honduras for a few …