Honduras Peace Forum Marks National Progress in Crime Prevention

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Aug. 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week, Honduras welcomed officials from the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), a global think tank, to the Honduras Peace Forum in Tegucigalpa.

"Honduras is moving in the right direction," said IEP Mexico Coordinator Patricia de Obeso. "Having a cabinet that invests in [crime] prevention is a good indication that the country is making progress."

In just three years, the homicide rate in Honduras dropped 30 percent.

Obeso commended Honduras for reducing terrorism and internal conflict, and for creating safe spaces for citizens. Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández has launched an initiative to build secure, peaceful parks for citizens.

"We recognize Honduras' advances in security over the last few years," said IEP Director Michelle Breslauer.

The Hernández administration recently strengthened civilian oversight of the national police, and revamped its Navy's drug trafficking unit.

Thanks to such initiatives, Honduras rose five places in the IEP's Global Peace Index, which ranks 163 countries on 23 indicators of peace. Honduras improved its national safety more than any Caribbean or Central American country in the index.

"Receiving such high praise from an institute that once named this country the most violent in the world is extremely significant," said President Hernández. "My administration will keep fighting to protect all Honduran citizens."

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SOURCE Republic of Honduras