Ministry of Sustainable Development and TaiwanICDF Host Closing Ceremony for the Belize Interdepartmental Rapid Response Team Training Program

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.
The training program was conducted under the TaiwanICDF Flood Warning Capacity Improvement for the Belize River Basin Project to enhance the flood warning capacity in Belize.
In the face of climate change, Belize and the entire Atlantic region are witnessing extreme storms and flooding. To better prepare and respond to the disasters, the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management has established the Belize Interdepartmental Rapid Response Team, comprising professionals from various departments such as the National Meteorological Service, Hydrology Unit, National Fire Service, Department of the Environment, and the National Emergency Management Organization. The team’s mission is to coordinate national response to natural disasters, focusing on flood events.
The training in Taipei covered topics such as flood disaster prevention and rescue, hydrological data establishment, and disaster management, complemented by visits to various disaster management sites and related national institutions. Participants witnessed Taiwan’s disaster management practices firsthand and learned how to better predict, respond to, and mitigate flood disasters. The knowledge and techniques offered by the training are expected to enhance the team’s capacity to address the potential climate crisis in Belize.
In attendance at the ceremony were Hon. Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management; H.E. Lily Li-Wen Hsu, Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to Belize; Judene Tingling-Linares, Director for the Policy, Project and Planning Unit in the ministry; Chief Robert Pan, and Project Manager Jason Tuan of the Taiwan Technical Mission in Belize.
The Ministry of Sustainable Development and the Taiwan Embassy recognize the successful outcome of the training program. The ministry and embassy look forward to closer bilateral cooperation to increase Belize’s resilience toward the increasing impact of climate change and natural disasters.