Relations between Switzerland and Honduras are good. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation runs a number of projects in Honduras.
Bilateral relations Switzerland–Honduras
Key aspects of diplomatic relations
Switzerland and Honduras have entered into various agreements, including technical cooperation, investment promotion and protection, and visa waiver agreements.
Switzerland's diplomatic interests in Honduras are represented by the Swiss embassy in Guatemala. The Swiss embassy to Costa Rica in San José deals with consular matters.
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has opened a liaison office with a consular section in Tegucigalpa. The SDC's main regional office is in Managua (Nicaragua).
Economic cooperation
Trade between Switzerland and Honduras is limited in scope. In the 1990s, Switzerland participated in multilateral debt relief programmes for Honduras. In 2020 Switzerland imported CHF 32.6 million in goods from Honduras, mainly comprising agricultural products. In the same year, Switzerland exported products to the value of CHF 13.8 million to Honduras – primarily pharmaceuticals, machinery and agricultural products.
Cooperation in education, research and innovation
Researchers from Honduras can apply for Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships from the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).
Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Scholars and Artists, SERI
Development cooperation and humanitarian aid
Honduras has been a priority country for Swiss development cooperation since 1978.
As set out in Switzerland's cooperation strategy for the 2018–21 period, the SDC will continue its activities in the areas of governance and the rule of law, jobs and economic development, climate change response, disaster prevention and natural resources. Humanitarian aid is an integral part of the SDC's programme.
In 2020, the SDC allocated around CHF 20 million to Honduras.
It also supported the Organization of American States Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras, which was completed at the start of 2020.
Swiss bilateral cooperation will be withdrawn from Latin America, including Honduras, by the end of 2024.
Swiss nationals in Honduras
According to statistics on the Swiss abroad, there were 215 Swiss nationals living in Honduras at the end of 2020.
History of bilateral relations
When Honduras became an independent republic in 1839 Switzerland recognised the new state immediately. In 1936 it established a consulate in Honduras. The two countries have maintained diplomatic relations since 1957.
During the Second World War, Switzerland represented the interests of Honduras in Germany and Hungary and, from 1962 to 1985, in Cuba.
The SDC has been active in Honduras since 1978 and opened a cooperation office in Tegucigalpa in 1981. The main regional office was moved to Managua in 1993 and the cooperation office in Tegucigalpa converted into a liaison and programme office.
