Baroness Anelay visits the Caribbean and Central America
5 May 2017 05:04 PM
Baroness Anelay's visit focussed on gender, human rights, climate change and anti-corruption.
On 1-5 May 2017 the Rt Hon Baroness Anelay of St Johns DBE, Minister of State for the Caribbean, the Commonwealth and the UN, visited Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana and Venezuela for the first time.
While in Trinidad & Tobago, Baroness Anelay met President Carmona, where she discussed bilateral relations and Commonwealth affairs. The Minister also met the Minister of Foreign and Caribbean Community Affairs, the Attorney General and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister to discuss corruption and UK support for criminal justice reform in Trinidad & Tobago.
Baroness Anelay, who is also responsible for the UK’s international policy on human rights and gender issues, met the Director for Gender and Child Affairs and local NGOs to discuss current work on these issues in Trinidad & Tobago.
Baroness Anelay then travelled to Guyana to meet with President Granger and members of the Cabinet; the Secretary General of the Caribbean Community, Irwin LaRoque; members of the Private Sector Commission and a number of NGOs. Guyana and the UK have worked closely to tackle corruption, violence, and the infiltration of narcotics and people traffickers from across Guyana’s borders.
On the last part of the visit in Venezuela, an FCO Human Rights Priority Country, the Minister explored joint programmes on human rights, energy, climate change, and education and cultural co-operation. She met government Ministers to discuss bilateral relations, human rights, climate change and energy. In these meetings the Minister also expressed her concern about the ongoing political situation and unrest in Venezuela. Baroness Anelay also met Venezuelan human rights defenders, to review important UK projects in capacity building and gender equality.
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