Uruguay: Open to the world, and committed to the environment

Uruguay: Open to the world, and committed to the environment

On Monday 23 May, HE Luis Lacalle Pou, President of Uruguay, delivered the 23rd Canning Lecture, entitled Uruguay, a Reliable Gateway to South America – Opportunities in Green Finance.

Following welcoming words from Cristina Cortes, CEO of Canning House, the President was introduced by Alderman Vincent Keaveny, the Rt. Hon. the Lord Mayor of London, who also spoke on the UK’s close economic ties with Uruguay.

President Lacalle Pou spoke on Uruguay as a place of confidence and hope – a stable place to live and invest, and one of the strongest democracies in the world. He discussed how Uruguay’s ‘responsible liberty’ approach has helped the country navigate the Covid-19 pandemic with minimal restrictions.

Within Mercosur, the President highlighted Uruguay as a hub for technology – a powerful engine for employment – and on the country’s growing agricultural sector, with provision for environmental protection. Uruguay, he said, is “making a big, big effort to open to the world;” while at the same time sharing the UK’s commitment to mitigating climate change and preserving nature.

Watch the President's Canning Lecture in full:

The President’s Canning Lecture was followed by a Canning Address by Minister Azucena Arbeleche, Uruguay’s Minister of Economy and Finance. She spoke in detail on Uruguay’s plans for green finance initiatives, highlighting how Uruguay is leading innovation in such efforts, even ahead of developed countries around the world, and stressing: “We need transformative change; we need to walk the talk.”

Following these words, the panel fielded questions from Canning House’s online audience, which addressed the Ukrainian crisis, the potential for Uruguay to seek trade agreements outside of Mercosur, and other topics. Ministers Francisco Bustillo, of Foreign Relations, and Omar Paganini, of Industry, Energy and Mining, were also present on the panel to answer questions.

President Lacalle Pou and his Ministers then engaged in a roundtable discussion with investors, before joining a Reception in honour of the President.

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