And today, Minister Fonseca and the PM hosted a Strategic Alliances International Partners Conference. It's a two day conference that aims to strengthen the dialogue with Belize's development partners, and unlock more climate financing to adapt to the effect of climate change. Courtney Menzies was at the opening ceremony in Placencia and has this story.
Belize's International Partners all gathered today at the Naia Resort in Placencia to hear from the government the progress being made to further develop the country. These are global partners who have contributed one way or another to Belize's development.
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Based on that now, we fast forward today to bring all our donors and our partners in development to tell them, this is what we presented to you, this is where we are, and talk about the different challenges, for instance like climate change, the issues with the economy, issues like infrastructure, education, health, poverty, the challenges that we would have time to time with crime to see how they can help us to be able to continue to develop Belize, to move it in the right direction. I think that this morning I took the opportunity to quickly jot down some notes just to give a broad overview of what Plan Belize is about, what are the five main things - reducing poverty, reducing the trade deficit, employment, citizen security, environment - and then tell them, this is what we inherited, here's where we are today. The success we've had is yes because we had a plan, yes we worked hard, and the Belizean people and our private sector worked together along with the public officers and everybody, together we managed to do this but we also managed to do that because they were a part of it. They provided technical assistance and in some instances some grants, and other times, long term, low cost financing."
And while several issues were discussed, the conference zeroed in on Climate Change and the need for climate financing and disaster risk financing.
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"This particular conference is very much focused on climate change and climate resiliency and climate finance because that is a very real challenge for countries like Belize, small states like Belize. Just over the past few days when we were are watching what was happening with Hurricane Milton which has developed into this monster storm that was directly focus on Florida. Just chatting with Belizeans on the street walking, many people say, imagine if that came here, what would happen to us. One gentleman told me, that would set us back 30 years. And that's real and that's what we want to discuss with our partners, the reality of vulnerability that countries like Belize face. Even with all the good work we're doing, if we have one natural disaster, if we have one major storm, major flooding, we've seen it even over the last few years we've seen, that has tremendous impact on our economic development, millions and millions of dollars. And so that's what we wanted to discuss with our partners here today and tomorrow."
And Fonseca also highlighted the partners that provide the bulk of the assistance, while PM Briceno added that these such conference should be held regularly.
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"We work very closely with our strategic friends, Taiwan is one as you mentioned, obviously the United States Government, the European Union really is in many respects the largest contributor in terms of our partnership, in terms of economic development. They have many different projects and they have been very much focused on this issue, climate change, so they've been ahead of the curve, the European Union, on this issue. So we work very closely with them so they're a very important strategic partner on this issue but of course all of our partners are important to us."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"It is something, I was speaking the Minister Fonseca along with CEO Mai and acting CEO Pol from Economic Development, it is something that it is important for us to be able to have. If not every year, at least every other year so that we can bring them and say look, this is where we are, with the help that you have done with us, these are the accomplishments and if there's anything that they believe we need to make any adjustments, then we do so once we have that discussion."
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