United Nations Development Programme

July 19, 2024 marks a significant milestone for the residents of Belize City as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy, Logistics, and E-Governance (MPUELE), the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Transport through the Department of Transport (DoT), and the Belize City Council (BCC) with funding support from the European Union (EU), launched the e-bus service and charging depot of the E-Mobility Pilot Project.

The Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries via its National Forensic Science Service and the Belize Crime Observatory, in partnership with the University of Belize, launched the fourth Belize Forensic Science Symposium at the Jaguar Auditorium, University of Belize. This initiative is part of the InfoSegura Project, a citizen security regional strategic partnership between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which has been central to enhancing the capacities of key institutions ensuring the security of Belize’s citizens over the past decade.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries launched the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) as a fully functional management system for the Forensic Laboratory of the National Forensic Science Service (NFSS) to support citizen security in Belize. This is an initiative of the InfoSegura project, which helps institutions in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic in designing and implementing evidence-based citizen security policies.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed an arrangement with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to strengthen Belize’s national infrastructure and institutional capacity for data and statistical management. With a total project budget of US$3.4 million, the “Enabling of Belize’s Statistical System” project, which is part of a larger Record of Discussion Arrangement with the Government of Belize, will be implemented from 2024 to 2027 and is a joint initiative involving six (6) Government ministries and five (5) United Nations (UN) agencies with coordination support from the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Economic Development signed an agreement to partner with the Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB) on the development and implementation of an annual Monetary Poverty Measure (MPM) and to assist in the continued development of the national Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) statistics program. This support will serve to enhance the country’s capacity to assess and address poverty, including through its policymaking processes.

Through the Electric Mobility Pilot Project, the first electric bus arrived at the Belize Western Border. Funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Belize City Council (BCC), the Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy, Logistics, and E-Governance (MPUELE) and the Department of Transport (DoT), this is the first of five buses, with the second bus arriving later this week, that will be the foundation to support e-mobility expansion in the country.

Over 40 personnel from the public and private sectors as well as development agencies came together for a three-day technical workshop to improve development financing and planning towards accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and climate objectives. This is being considered through the implementation of the Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF) approach in Belize based on national priorities and experience from other countries. The workshop was convened by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator (UNRCO) with technical leadership of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development, and Investment and Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management.

On December 7, the Good Governance Unit, in the Ministry of the Public Service, Constitutional and Political Reform and Religious Affairs, hosted the inaugural National Anti-Corruption Conference. Themed "Uniting Belize Against Corruption," the conference brought together diverse stakeholders to deliberate on comprehensive strategies to combat corruption.