Prime Minister

The Tren Maya project, a major railway initiative in the southeastern region of Mexico, will possibly expand into Belize. Belize's Prime Minister, Johnny Briceño, has officially proposed extending the train across the Hondo River to promote regional integration and boost tourism. The expansion would occur in two stages: first, a seven-kilometer track would be constructed from Quintana Roo to Belize; second, a route would connect Belize to Guatemala, passing through Tikal National Park.

Belizeans are set to vote in the general election scheduled for 2025, where they will choose either to re-elect the current government led by the People's United Party (PUP) or to elect a new administration. Prime Minister Honorable Dr. John Briceño, a prominent figure in the PUP for decades, seeks re-election for a second term. On Wednesday, January 22nd, Briceño shared with reporters in Belize City that he hopes to retire from electoral politics after serving a second term.

From August 30th through the 31st, San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, hosted the third High-Level Meeting of the Regional Climate Change Platform of Economy and Finance Ministries of Latin America and the Caribbean. Hosted by the Government of Belize in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the two-day event saw delegations from various countries. The ministerial meeting ended with a powerful demonstration of unity as the participating countries adopted a regional vision for sustainable finance. This collective effort aims to boost sustainable finance and promote effective investments, reinforcing the shared responsibility of the participating countries in meeting their climate commitments.

After the Municipal Elections held on March 6th, the People’s United Party (PUP) hosted victory rallies throughout the country in each of the six municipalities they won. In San Pedro Town, the newly elected PUP town council held their rally on Saturday, March 23rd, with Belize’s Prime Minister, Honorable John Briceño, in attendance. The celebration included a parade through the town’s streets and a program of events at the Honorable Louis Sylvestre Sporting Complex (Saca Chispas), which included official speeches, raffles, and live entertainment.

Prime Minister, the Honourable Dr. John Briceño led a delegation to Guatemala City, Guatemala, to attend the presidential inauguration of that country's new leader, Bernardo Arevalo. The scheduled ceremony set for 2PM on Sunday, January 14th was almost overshadowed by an extended delay stemming from issues within the Congress. Arevalo was finally sworn in as the 52nd president of Guatemala minutes after midnight.

On December 5, 2023, parliamentarians of the National Assembly of Belize officially recognized a donation that the Republic of China (Taiwan) will make toward substantial renovations of the National Assembly building in Belmopan. The Government and people of the Republic of China (Taiwan) have committed to a donation of US$792,125.30, which will be used to modernize the infrastructure of National Assembly building.

On October 20, 2023, the Government of Belize convened a high-level meeting in Miami, Florida, engaging with top executives from leading member cruise lines of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA).

Belize’s Prime Minister, the Honourable Dr. John Briceño, is the new Vice President of the SIDS DOCK, a Small Island Development States initiative for sustainable development. Briceño’s appointment to represent the Caribbean region was determined by acclamation and occurred during the seventh session of the SIDS DOCK Assembly held virtually on Monday, September 25th. It was held within the margins of the General Debate of the 78th United Nations General Assembly session at its headquarters in New York City, New York, USA. Briceño will start his term in January 2024. During the event, he spoke about a $50USD million initiative to mitigate against the sargassum seaweed invasion affecting Caribbean economies.