Government

Over the past few days, the news of a multi-million proposed loan from the Social Security Board (SSB) Investment Committee to a pharmaceutical supplier known as Pharmacy Express Limited has been raising eyebrows within the public, including the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW). The loan application from the said pharmaceutical company is for $7 million and is needed for 'refinancing and inventory purposes.'

The Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour, and Local Government hosted a two-day Training of Trainers Workshop for Rural Community Development Officers (RCDO) and Local Government Officers (LGO) at Kiki Witz, Belmopan, from July 21 to 22, 2022.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise announces that the Department of Co-operatives, responsible for the registration and regulation of co-operatives, held a registration ceremony for Sayab Farmers Co-operative Society Limited on July 22, 2022. Under the department’s oversight, the new co-operative has transitioned from an ad hoc farmers’ group to a formal enterprise, and will now have access to auditing, conflict resolution services, and entrepreneurial development programs, among others.

The second of two U.S. Air Force flights scheduled to transport emergency response vehicles to Belize this month, arrived on July 21, 2022 carrying two ambulances, two support trucks, and an array of medical supplies. This donation underscores the continuing partnership between the United States and Belize to improve Belize’s emergency and disaster response capabilities and is made possible through an ongoing U.S. government-funded Central America Regional Security Initiative – Economic Support Fund (CARSI-ESF) grant.

The Belize Bureau of Standards (BBS), as a CARICOM member state, was selected to participate in a pilot voluntary Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme (EELS) for Refrigerators, Air Conditioners and Lighting. Towards this end, the BBS has approached the Association of Normalization and Certification (ANCE) of Mexico in 2021 to garner support for Belize’s EELS pilot project through a cooperation agreement. The main objective of the cooperation agreement is capacity building for staff to carry out conformity assessment for energy efficient appliances in addition to other key support areas. This is a critical component of the project requirement to ensure the effective implementation of the program.

Mrs. Marsha Price, Postmaster General of the Belize Postal Service, is representing the Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy, Logistics & E-Governance at the 24th Caribbean Postal Union Conference in Castries, St. Lucia, from July 18 to 22, 2022.

The Ministry of Economic Development, in collaboration with the Belize Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCI) and with the support of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), convened the Capacity Building Forum Closing and Validation Workshop of the Green Climate Fund (GCF)-funded project, “Strengthening Belize Private Sector Access to Climate Finance” on July 20, 2022.

On July 14, 2022, H.E. David Kuan-Chou Chien, the Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Honorable Michel Chebat, Minister of Public Utilities, Energy, Logistics and E-Governance, signed an Implementing Arrangement for the “Digital Inclusion Program”. In response to the Government of Belize’s National Digital Agenda goals, the Government of Taiwan, through this “Digital Inclusion Program,” will promote various work objectives such as i) developing digital labs, and ii) strengthening digital literacy and skills. The total cost of implementing this program is around $496,000BZD, which will be funded by Taiwan Government.