The 25 flags of nations from Central America and the Caribbean flew at the Biltmore today for a major regional meeting being held in Belize this week - and it is one that could only be held in Belize.
Fisheries ministers, administrators and senior officials from Central America and the Caribbean are here for the first ever meeting of the CARICOM Regional Fisheries Mechanism, CRFM and the Organization for Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Central American Isthmus, OSPESCA.
Just getting everyone in the same room is seen as a major accomplishment - and its historic to have them discuss trans boundary fisheries matters and chart a course for future collaborative action.
Today Belize's Fisheries Minister Lisel Alamilla explained that it could have only happened in Belize because only this country is a member of both organizations:..
Hon. Lisel Alamilla
"This is exactly where Belize is poised to say well this is how it's done in Central America and this is how they do it in the Caribbean and so because we move between both regions and we sit in both OSPESCA and we also have a seat in Caricom and we work various regions and so we can share with them this is how things are done in Central America and this is how people move shared agendas forward and then we also share them so that we can advance and support building trust between the regions."
Hon. V. Alfred Guy, Minister of Agric./Fissheries/Local Gov't - Bahamas
"We are delighted to partnership in ensuring that countries around the Caribbean and indeed the Central and South American region have seen the wisdom of getting together, pooling resources in order to protect what we conceive to be a very important part of our countries' very existence."
Hon. Lisel Alamilla
"In fact that the way any other country that share this wider Caribbean region manages their resources will impact Belize and so we are interested in collaborating with all the countries to ensure the best use and best management our fisheries resources."
The meeting includes 17 CARICOM member and associated member states of the CRFM and 7 members of (OSPESCA) joined by the Dominican Republic as an associate member.
The meeting will produce the first declaration for cooperation between ministers of both sub regions.
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