Government

The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Hon. John Briceño, met on 15th August 2023. Cabinet considered and gave its approval for the adjustment of pay...

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.

On Wednesday, August 16th, the ‘Know Yuh Rights’ lecture series, a nationwide campaign to better understand the Belize Constitution, occurred at the Angel Nuñez Auditorium in San Pedro Town. The public event is an ongoing effort by the People’s Constitution Commission (PCC) to present a comprehensive review of the Belize Constitution, consult the population, obtain feedback, and submit a final report on the findings to the Prime Minister. At the end of the process, the National Assembly will decide if Belizeans must move to repeal or amend the current Constitution.

During the recent sitting of the House of Representatives in the Capital City of Belmopan, the government introduced the 11th Amendment, which seeks to elevate the standard of members in the National Assembly. One feature of the bill is raising concerns with the Opposition in that it seeks to disqualify anyone from being an elected government member if convicted of a major crime and sentenced to over a year in Belize or the Commonwealth. Honorable Dr. Shyne Barrow, the Leader of the Opposition, was incarcerated in the United States for almost a decade and took this as a personal attack. The government, however, explained that it was not about Barrow’s situation but an attempt to set higher standards.

Hon. Eamon Courtenay, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration; and H.E. María Hayem Brevé, Minister of the Economy of El Salvador, on August 11th signed a General Framework Agreement, which commits both countries to begin negotiations of a Partial Scope Trade Agreement (PSA).

The People's Constitution Commission (PCC) convened on August 4, 2023, to deliberate on critical matters aimed at enhancing the constitution-building process. The meeting, held in Belize City, saw active participation from esteemed commissioners, fostering productive discussions on various important subjects.

Cabinet considered and approved the joint plan from the Attorney General’s Ministry and the Ministry of E-Governance for a program to strengthen the civil registry. This will achieve a more efficient civil registry program, modernizing and improving all services of the Vital Statistics Unit through the establishment of a pertinent legal policy framework, simplified procedures and an inclusive and accessible online service.

Kennedy Carrillo, CEO in the Ministry of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation, and Nigel Carter, Director of Civil Aviation, participated in a one-week Aviation Leaders Programme in Public Policy course at the Singapore Aviation Academy from July 31 to August 4, 2023. The course is sponsored by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.