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Today, representatives from SICA and members of Belize’s indigenous groups met at the Biltmore. They discussed ways to improve the overall quality of life for the disadvantaged groups in Belize. We spoke to a SICA representative and two participants about the importance of inclusion. 

Edly Hall - Central American Black Organization Rep.
"This meeting is part of a project of the general secretariat of SICA and it is accompanied by the civil society which is the CC SICA which is a part of SICA. This project has been sponsored mainly by the Duke of Luxembourg that is an observer of SICA and it’s aimed to have full participation of indigenous groups and afro descendants. They are considered the most vulnerable groups in the area. The process is to have a diagnosis of what is the main situation and what possible projects can happen to attend those situations."

Andrew Castillo - Acting President, National Garifuna Council
"Some of the things we are looking at is like what are the pressures that these groups are experiencing in terms of economic development, political participation and all these kinds of stuff so what we are trying to do is put some thoughts together in terms of how we can find solutions to these pressures and problems that are affecting these groups."

Courtney Weatherburne
"Is there a move or an initiative to take what is discussed here all the information that is discussed here or even the solutions you come up with to the wider community, how are all the other members of these indigenous groups going to know about what is happening at this level?"

Andrew Castillo
"So us as representatives of these groups will take this information back to our board and then have different representatives from the different communities spread that information to their other membership over there and also what we want to do is out of these meeting we develop a paper which can be shared with all the Central American countries so they are aware of what is affecting that portion of their population."

Donisio Shol - Project Manager, Julian Cho Society
"We are grateful for the invitation and I am here on behalf of the Maya people to represent them so we are giving them our views and I believe it is good for us because it shows that they have recognized that indigenous people need to be included in any consultation that is brought forward."

Today was day 2 of the meeting in Belize. SICA representatives will host this meeting in 8 of the member countries. They have already met in El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama. They move on to either Honduras or Guatemala next.