Monthly Archives: September, 2023

During the Cabinet Meeting on September 26, 2023, Prime Minister Hon. John Briceño was presented the Belize@42 Creative Youth Ideas Summit Outcomes Document by Hon. Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Technology.

The Belize Defence Force (BDF) sent personnel to the Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport in Belize City after they were alerted about an item resembling an explosive object sent as cargo on a local flight from San Pedro Town.

On September 25, 2023, the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management and the TaiwanICDF held the closing ceremony for the Belize Interdepartmental Rapid Response Team Training Program, which also presented the results of a three-week disaster management training held in Taipei, Taiwan.

On Sunday, October 1st, the Queen Conch (Strombus gigas) and the Florida Stone Crab (Menippe mercenaria) fishing seasons officially open. In the case of the Stone Crab, of which only the claws are harvested, the season will close on June 30, 2024, while the Queen Conch closing season is the same as the Stone Crab’s. The season will close if the conch production quota is filled earlier.

On September 25, 2023, the Second Road Safety Project, under the Ministry of Economic Development (MED), handed over 400 hundred Road Safety Toolkits to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology (MoECST). Present at the handing over were Dr. Osmond Martinez, CEO for the MED; Mrs. Dian Maheia, CEO for the MoECST; and Mr. Zane Castillo, Project Manager for the Second Road Safety Project.

Belize’s Prime Minister, the Honourable Dr. John Briceño, is the new Vice President of the SIDS DOCK, a Small Island Development States initiative for sustainable development. Briceño’s appointment to represent the Caribbean region was determined by acclamation and occurred during the seventh session of the SIDS DOCK Assembly held virtually on Monday, September 25th. It was held within the margins of the General Debate of the 78th United Nations General Assembly session at its headquarters in New York City, New York, USA. Briceño will start his term in January 2024. During the event, he spoke about a $50USD million initiative to mitigate against the sargassum seaweed invasion affecting Caribbean economies.

San Pedrano and well-known artist Edwardo 'Papo' Alamilla emerged as the top winner of the Belize Tourism Board's (BTB) art competition. The Belize Tourism Through Art competition was part of the activities leading up to World Tourism Day on Wednesday, September 27th. Papo Alamilla's masterpiece, 'Our People, Our Landscapes, Our Tourism,' captivated a panel of judges well-versed in the arts by showcasing the country's tourism landscape in all its beauty, including flora, fauna, and iconic attractions.

The topic of adequate water services and a connection to a proper wastewater system in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, is a task every administration on the island has tried to tackle with help from experts in this area. The current administration, headed by Mayor Gualberto ‘Wally’ Nuñez, is working to establish a new water plant in northern Ambergris Caye and upgrade the present facilities (south water plants and wastewater system) to make them climate resilient and sustainable.