Government

Belize will strengthen its response to the economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic with US$12.4 million from the World Bank. The funds will be used to provide social assistance to poor and vulnerable households impacted by the crisis.

The Belize-Cuba bilateral relationship bears all the signal markers and achievements of a robust, deep and fruitful partnership. The two countries have implemented a multitude of cooperation agreements covering many areas such as agriculture, health, education, and tourism. Belize and Cuba have undertaken many high-level visits, expressed positions of mutual support in international fora, and engaged cultural, sporting, and diplomatic accreditation exchanges. At critical moments of national disasters and in this COVID-19 pandemic, both countries have extended assistance to one another.

The UNDP programme, “Enabling Gender-Responsive Disaster Recovery, Climate and Environmental Resilience in the Caribbean” (EnGenDER) has been working with implementing partners, stakeholders and donors over the last year to strengthen disaster risk management systems for 9 Caribbean countries and build resilience to the effects of climate change. This work is happening at a variety of levels, from improving central government’s ability build strategies for inclusive approaches to policy making to build resilience; to strengthening regional systems for planning and recovery from natural disasters; to community level interventions to ensure the vulnerable have what they need to so that that adaptation and mitigation actions in key livelihood sectors, such as agriculture, consider vulnerable persons.

As Belize strives to be prepared for the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the country, the Governments of the United Kingdom and Canada collaborated with the Pan American Health Organization to support the Ministry of Health of Belize to continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic through the donation of various items valued at USD$271,135.

The Government of Belize, through a collaborative effort lead by the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Commerce, the Ministry of Labour, Local Government and Rural Development, and BELTRAIDE, hereby advises the public that it will roll out the second phase of Government’s COVID-19 Economic Relief Program. The second phase includes the continuation of the Unemployment Relief Program and incorporates a new component, the Micro-, Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME) Support Program. The objectives of the programs in the second phase are to continue providing direct cash relief for workers who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic and also to MSMEs that have suffered revenue loss. The program is expected to help safeguard and promote employee retention, as well as assist MSMEs as they transition and adapt to the economic challenges presented by the pandemic.

The Belize Customs and Excise Department and the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) signed a mutually beneficial Memorandum of Cooperation that provides for collaboration on and implementation of an information sharing program utilizing cargo manifest and conveyance information.

In a judgment delivered on 30 June 2020, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) granted an appeal in the Appellate Jurisdiction matter of Belize International Services Limited v Attorney General of Belize[2020] CCJ 9 (AJ) BZ.

These test kits are developed by Taiwan’s Excelsior Bio-System Incorporation and can deliver reliable results in just 10 to 15 minutes with 100 percent sensitivity and 95 percent specificity. These kits can be used to screen potential carriers of the virus who were infected more than seven days prior to testing. This medical assistance will help strengthen the capacity of the Government of Belize to ensure a smooth and safe re-opening of the Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport scheduled for August 15, 2020.