Belize today assumed presidency of FOPREL - the Forum of Presiding Officers of National Parliaments of Central America and the Caribbean basin. Guatemala’s Vice Minister Ferdy Berganza handed it over to the President of Belize’s Senate Andrea Gill. She told us what hopes to accomplish over the next year.

Hon. Andrea Gill, President of the Senate
“Belize has been given the topic of education and being an educator myself, I am a teacher, I am hoping that I can find ways to help with our education system. That happens to be one of my little pet peeves so I am very happy that Belize has been given that big in the sense portfolio where education is concerned.

In terms of meeting and stuff like that, from time to time I will have to either travel to one or the other Central American countries to deal with some of the objectives. Later on today we will be meeting to put together a work plan for the year and so what will be required of me is from time to time to travel maybe to Nicaragua or sometimes they will come here to Belize just depending on my schedule and we will see how best we can fulfil that work plan that we set out today. So the work plan isn’t quite finished yet. This afternoon we are supposed to finish that up and then from there then my job is to see or ensure that that work plan basically is carried out.”

The member countries are Guatemala, Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic and of course Belize. It is headquartered in Nicaragua.