Belmopan, August 16, 2023.
On August 11, Dr. Osmond Martinez, CEO in the Ministry of Economic Development, and Ambassador Charles Chao-Cheng Li, Secretary General of the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF), signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a project on Climate and Ocean Risk Vulnerability Index (CORVI) data and survey collection for Belize City and its surrounding areas.
Valued at US$330,000, the project is a collaboration between the Government of Belize, TaiwanICDF, the Ocean Affairs Council of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and the Stimson Center, a leading think tank in the United States. he Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) is funding the project.
CORVI integrates economic, social and environmental data to assess resilience to climate and ocean risks. The assessment uses 100 indicators and 10 risk categories to produce information on ecological, financial and political risks. The CORVI findings can be used to inform government planning (i.e., adaptation and municipal plans, climate resilience strategies) and develop projects in critical sectors like the energy sector.
The ocean plays a crucial role in the livelihood of thousands of Belizeans who rely on the fishing and tourism industries to generate incomes, which are presently affected by climate change challenges. Like many Caribbean nations facing threats to coastal regions, the time to act on these threats has been pushed to the forefront. It is hoped that the outcome of the CORVI project will also garner support for the Government of Belize from the international community to continue to address the climate crisis.
A virtual kick-off meeting was held on August 14, with representatives from Belize, Taiwan, the Stimson Center, and Squared Communications, LLC. An overview of the project and timeline was shared with all participants and the next steps were concluded. The final deliverables, which are the completed risk assessment and an in-country workshop, are anticipated to be completed by October 2024.
The Government of Belize thanks the Republic of China (Taiwan) and all those involved in the project for their commitment to building the overall resilience of Belize.
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