Canning House is delighted to announce that The Baroness Hooper CMG has been awarded the Canning Medal for her outstanding contribution to the strengthening of UK-Latin American relations over many years.
The Medal was presented to Lady Hooper on 18 May by The Lord Browne of Madingley, on behalf of Canning House. Professor Victor Bulmer-Thomas CMG OBE delivered closing remarks.
Lady Hooper is a frequent visitor to Latin America with recent trips including UK representations at Presidential Inaugurations in Costa Rica, Argentina and El Salvador. In 2020, she was appointed the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Panama. As a leading member of the British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Lady Hooper has also met incoming delegations from across Latin America and the Caribbean for over 20 years.
In the House of Lords, she has delivered speeches and submitted questions regarding Latin American challenges including human rights and domestic violence. She is Honorary President of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Latin America, and has held senior positions at various UK-Latin American organisations including the Anglo-Latin American Foundation and Friends of Colombia for Social Aid.
Having undertaken a Rotary Foundation Fellowship at the Universidad Central del Ecuador, in 1995 Lady Hooper founded the British School Quito, which continues to offer high-quality British education in Ecuador’s capital.
From 1997 to 2002, Lady Hooper served as Canning House’s Honorary President, during which time the annual Canning Lecture was introduced, offering platforms for distinguished Latin American and Iberian figures to speak to equally distinguished UK audiences. During her leadership, Canning House expanded its presence in Latin America, hosting and attending major conferences in the region.
Since 2002, Lady Hooper has remained an Honorary Vice-President of Canning House, chairing events and indefatigably supporting its activities.
The Board of Trustees of Canning House is delighted to recognise and honour Baroness Hooper’s outstanding contributions to UK-Latin American relations with the award of this Canning Medal.
