Government

Hon. Christopher Coye, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment, was a panelist at the 57th Meeting of the Network of Central Banks and Finance Ministries within Latin America and the Caribbean, held on April 12, 2023, in Washington D.C.

The Caribbean Fisheries Forum, the technical and advisory arm of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), convened its 21st Meeting earlier this week, on 3 – 4 April 2023. The Forum—which is made up of the heads of national fisheries departments and divisions of the CRFM countries, stakeholders, and regional and international development partners—focused on advancing sustainable management, conservation and development of the region’s fisheries and aquaculture sector.

UN Food and Agriculture Organization Representative for Jamaica, The Bahamas and Belize, Dr Crispim Moreira, visited Belize from March 26 to April 1, 2023. As part of the mission, Dr Moreira attended a United National Country Team Retreat from March 29 to 31, 2023 at San Ignacio Hotel in San Ignacio/Santa Elena Town, Belize.

On April 4, 2023, H.E. Dr. Tsai Ing-wen, President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and her distinguished delegation attended an exhibition which highlighted the achievements of the Women Economic Empowerment Project, which is co-implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government of Taiwan.

During the state visit of the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Her Excellency Dr. Tsai Ing-Wen presented the new hospital model for San Pedro Town. The unveiling of the design of the much-needed primary health care for the island took place on Monday, April 3rd, at an event in Belize City. Area Representative for Belize Rural South, Hon. Andre Perez (Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker), was there to receive the hospital’s model.

Hon. Eamon H. Courtenay, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration of Belize, and H.E. Jaushieh Joseph Wu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan), signed a Technical Cooperation Framework Agreement on April 3, which will serve to establish further cooperation programmes between Belize and Taiwan in areas such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, technology, education, climate change, youth and women, health, tourism and other areas of mutual consent. The signing was witnessed by Hon. John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize, and H.E. Dr. Tsai Ing-Wen, President of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

The co-management agreements signed with conservation partners last month (March) for a number of protected areas raised eyebrows in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, when it was revealed that the Bacalar Chico National Park, located north of the island, would be managed by the Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development (SACD). This led the non-governmental organization (NGO) Ambergris Caye Citizens for Sustainable Development (ACCSD) to register its disappointment as they stated they had been working on a plan with government authorities to manage the protected area. In an official note released on Monday, April 3rd, they indicated that they were not consulted in such an important matter despite their interest in being part of Bacalar Chico's administration.

On March 29, 2023, the Investment Policy and Compliance Unit (IPCU) in the Ministry of Investment organized a consultation with companies that benefit from the Designated Processing Areas (DPA) Act. The objective of the consultation was to apprise the private sector stakeholders of the proposed amendments.