Embattled Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez to visit Mexican counterpart
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez is expected to travel to Mexico today, where he will meet with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
The two leaders will discuss the region’s migration crisis and agree on the implementation of President Obrador’s “Sowing Life” development plan for Honduras. Last month, the Mexican president and El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele inked an agreement that will see some $100 million invested by Mexico for development projects. A similar arrangement for Honduras may be agreed upon today.
Mr Obrador’s development plan aims to address the root cause of migration by alleviating the conditions of extreme poverty in Central America’s Northern Triangle—Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Around 80% immigrants detained at the US border originate from these three countries. The Mexican president hopes to attract some $100 billion from various sources for the plan, including the US and UN, over the next ten years.
On a yearly basis the Honduran government spends just $278 per person on social spending, despite having a strong economy—forecast to grow by almost 3.6% this year—and a healthy budget deficit. Furthermore, much of that spending, as well as foreign aid, is lost to rampant corruption. Thus, unless President Obrador can somehow inspire Mr Hernandez to both boost social spending and address corruption, any investment pledged today will have a limited impact.
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