U.S. Ambassador to Belize Joins Regional Counterparts for U.S.-Central America Relations Discussion

U.S. Ambassador to Belize, Michelle Kwan joined ambassadors from within the region in Washington D.C. for a discussion on US relations in Central America. Kwan joined her counterparts from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala for a discussion on U.S.-Central America relations hosted by the Inter-American Dialogue.  Ambassador Kwan spoke of the issues their base countries face, along with the efforts that their embassies are undertaking to provide support, and address regional issues such as migration and transnational organized crime. Rebecca Bill Chavez, President and Chief Executive Officer of InterAmerican Dialogue said that a key feature of the event was to highlight the importance of supporting the work of diplomats and ensuring that they have the resources they need.

Ambassador Kwan, who took up her post in December 2022, shared some of the challenges unique to Belize, and highlighted the country’s commitment to democracy and advancing human rights.

Kwan added a major challenge she and her team at the embassy face is securing funding for projects. She said that the size of Belize’s economy makes it difficult to attract trusted vendors to fund projects and that the Embassy continues to seek solutions to this problem. Kwan is Belize’s first US Ambassador since 2017. She succeeds former Ambassador Carlos Moreno.