Hon. Francis Fonseca

The Government of Belize is hosted the Strategic Alliances International Partners Conference under the theme “Unlocking Climate Finance and Disaster Risk Financing for Sustainable Development.” The event was opened this morning by Hon. John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize, and featured remarks by Hon. Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Education, Culture, Science and Technology, and H.E. Amalia Mai, Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. It aims to strengthen dialogue with Belize’s development partners and enhance collaboration on initiatives for sustainable growth.

During the Cabinet Meeting on September 26, 2023, Prime Minister Hon. John Briceño was presented the Belize@42 Creative Youth Ideas Summit Outcomes Document by Hon. Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Technology.

U.S. Ambassador Michelle Kwan joined Minister of Education, Culture, Science, and Technology Hon. Francis Fonseca for the opening ceremony of the Lamanai Conservation and Preservation Project held on March 18th at the Lamanai Archaeological Reserve. The project will enable the conservation and preservation of the High Temple, Mask Temple, ball court plaza, and other ancient structures at Lamanai, one of Belize’s most frequently visited Mayan archaeological sites. This project was made possible by an Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) grant worth USD $177,188 to the Institute of Archaeology at National Institute of Culture and History (NICH), part of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science, and Technology.

February 22, 2023, a delegation led by Prime Minister Hon. John Briceño, Hon. Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Technology (MoECST); Dr. Hon. Louis Zabaneh, Minister of State in MoECST; and Dr. Ilan Goldfajn, President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), toured the construction site of the Itz’at STEAM Academy in Belize City.

The MoECST, through the signing of these memorandums, has committed to supporting student-athletes by providing education stipends to assist with living and tuition expenses. The FFB identified 10 student-athletes studying abroad to receive a BZ$600 monthly stipend to assist with living expenses, and 39 student-athletes have been identified by the BBF to receive a tuition scholarship up to the baccalaureate level.

U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Leyla Moses-Ones, on behalf of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Minister of Belize’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Science, and Technology Hon. Francis Fonseca signed an agreement to implement a Belize-based program that supports educational activities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program is an international science and education program that provides students and the public worldwide with the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to our understanding of the Earth system and global environment.

August 1, 2022 commemorates the 188th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the British Empire and the 184th anniversary of the abolition of the system of apprenticeship. For the second year, Belize joined its sister Caribbean nations in officially observing Emancipation Day as a public and bank holiday.

On July 9, 2022, the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) through the Museum of Belize and Houses of Culture, officially reopened the doors of the Corozal House of Culture (CHOC), after more than a year of closure.