Are B.D.F. soldiers earning enough to make ends meet? That’s the question we asked B.D.F. Commandant, Brigadier General Azariel Loria, last Friday after the latest batch of recruits graduated. While Loria assured us that the salaries are sufficient, News Five received a WhatsApp message and a digital copy of a pay slip from a concerned soldier. In his message to the Prime Minister, the soldier expressed his struggles with his salary, especially around Christmastime when he can’t afford gifts for his children. He mentioned his ten years of service and the issue of frozen increments, accusing Brigadier General Loria of not advocating enough for better pay and rations. However, Loria maintained that the salaries are fair and will be adjusted.
Azariel Loria
Brig. Gen. Azariel Loria, Commandant, B.D.F.
“Our salaries has been reviewed at the moment and it’s not only for the BDF but also for Coast Guard. And, also, I believe that there were some allowances approved to the air wing pilots and to the whole of the BDF to start to draw jungle and bush allowances. So it is something that the government is looking into. And I know that, with this, the level of cooperation that we are having from government, it is something very positive that all of us are looking into and seeing the results. No, it’s not a pay increase. We’re not getting a pay raise. It’s an adjustment where we’re looking in ways in which our pay scale could be adjusted because of that minimum wage that came into effect.”
Loria also mentioned that the B.D.F. is getting a boost in communication equipment, thanks to help from the Central Bank of Belize. This new gear, which includes body cams, satellite radios, and tracking devices, will be sent to the most remote posts along the Belize/Guatemala border.
Brig. Gen. Azariel Loria, Commandant. B.D.F.
“We are in the process of purchasing our satellite phones with the assistance of the BDF. Central Bank of Belize. We’re forming a partnership so that we could at least equip t the most remote areas, be it Cadenas, Machaquil Ha, and Rio Blanco, Ceibo Chico with those types of equipment, so that in the event of any emergency, they can communicate. And we are going to get those tracking devices, but we’re finding means, and it’s not only tracking devices. We are in the era now that we need body cameras to ensure that if they meet Guatemalans, that we get the precise information back to camp. So, that is where we want to go now.”
COP16, a global summit aimed at halting the destruction of nature, ended in chaos on Saturday. While there were some advances, several key issues remained unresolved. This gathering in Cali, Colombia, marked the first meeting of governments since the 2022 agreement to curb human-caused environmental destruction. Over the two-week summit, countries aimed to make significant progress on critical targets, including protecting thirty percent of the Earth for nature and reforming damaging aspects of the global financial system. Despite the ambitious goals, the summit concluded with much work still to be done. Attending the conference on behalf of the Government of Belize was Beverly Wade, Director of the Blue Bond and Finance Permanence Unit. Despite all the pledges and commitments made during the global summit, less than half a billion dollars was raised. Wade emphasized that a minimum of twenty billion dollars is needed annually to effectively tackle the issue of biodiversity loss. This stark contrast highlights the significant gap between intentions and the financial resources required to make a real impact.
Beverly Wade
Beverly Wade, Director, Blue Bond & Finance Permanence Unit
“One of the biggest topics at COP is all about the money and the financing. I think this COP showed that the traditional financing that would have come to finance nature and nature goals, biodiversity goals and even climate is not really there anymore. We’re simply not getting the follow-through from all the commitments that are being made in terms of financing biodiversity laws and climate. As a matter of fact, I think everybody is very much shocked at the measly four hundred million dollars that was raised to move the global biodiversity strategy and framework forward. It’s been estimated that it would cost twenty billion dollars a year to curb biodiversity loss globally and when you can only raise four hundred million dollars, that is telling. And so, we’re actually having a crisis. We’re faced with a climate and biodiversity loss crisis, but we also now have a crisis in how are we going to effectively or how are we now going to address these crises that we have without the resources that are required.”
Isani Cayetano
“From Belize’s perspective, what would you say would be, perhaps, one takeaway from all of what was discussed and perhaps things that can be tangibly done for to remain in line with our goals?”
Beverly Wade
“I think one of the things from my experience at COP, I was fortunate to be along with the Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Hon. Christopher Coye, where he participated in several panels and we participated in numerous discussions that were around, how do we bridge the finance gap. And a lot of attention is being paid to Belize because Belize is one of the few countries that is actually now finding ways other than just grants depending on grants.”
Negotiations were scheduled to conclude on Friday evening but instead descended into confusion by Saturday morning after nearly twelve hours of intense discussions. Governments were unable to reach a consensus on critical issues, including nature funding and the monitoring of this decade’s targets. The drawn-out talks and the sequence of discussions left many countries frustrated, as crucial matters remained unresolved in the final hour.
Beverly Wade, Director, Blue Bond & Finance Permanence Unit
“Safeguarding nature is critical for us. When you look at a country that is estimated at fifty percent of your GDP is nature-based, it’s important for us here in Belize to ensure that we maintain the functional integrity of nature. That’s providing important ecosystems services for us in productive sectors: tourism, fisheries, shoreline protection. And so, it is a priority for us and Belize is one of those countries that has shown that we now know how to start that new thinking of how to now bring in money to finance our ambitions.”
Isani Cayetano
“What do you make of this all, because some people would argue that this is all talk shop and [that] it doesn’t have any material substance, so to speak, in terms of being able to put into effect some of the agreements, put into place the funding as necessary for these agreements to be carried out or what-have-you?”
Beverly Wade
“Well, I’ll be frank with you, it doesn’t give you much to be optimistic about in terms of seeing the commitments made in terms of resources to address climate, really come into fruition. And this isn’t new, it’s sad, really. It’s not that we don’t know that climate change is here. It’s not that we don’t know who the primary countries that are responsible for the impacts that we are seeing from climate change. It is sad that we don’t have that level of commitment to really addressing it in a meaningful way.”
Agriculture Minister Jose Abelardo Mai is set to attend COP29 in Baka, Azerbaijan in the coming days. However, he expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of global summits, suggesting they often serve as more of a talk shop than a platform for meaningful action on climate change and other pressing environmental issues. His remarks were made during an appearance on Open Your Eyes this morning, where he also discussed the looming threat to Belize’s livestock industry if the new screwworm is detected in the country.
Jose Abelardo Mai
Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture
“Our livestock industry, sustainable livestock practices that we are applying… the sad thing about this, though, is that sustainable agriculture, climate smart agriculture, all these fancy terms mean nothing without financial backing. So when you go to this COP24 and COP23… and all the fancy talking, there is no money put behind that. I have now, actually, been forced to go to Azerbaijan in the next week and I did not want to go because I do not like talk shops. I would not [go] but because of the Central American ministers putting up a position, I’ve been asked to be a panelist. I’ve haven’t been there since I was elected, other people go, I said, “Listen, let them go. I have other things I need to.” But this year I need to go and I have been asked that. But this year, it will be one of the main topics. They have messed up their environment, we still have out trees, we are practicing some sustainability, but it’s not cheap.”
San Roman Village is completely underwater, leaving residents unsure of what to do next. The flooding has made the road into the village impassable without a boat. To help, the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) has been ferrying villagers in and out safely. Today, News Five’s Britney Gordon visited the area to get a firsthand look at the situation.
Britney Gordon
Britney Gordon, Reporting
“It’s been three weeks of consistent flooding on the road to San Roman and according to NEMO operatives, there are no signs of it receding any time soon. From six a.m. to six p.m., NEMO is on the ground, assisting villagers with getting in and out of the village. With the use of the villager’s boats. But after that, the villagers depend on their own skills to get out of the village. There is currently a bus, waiting to pick up villagers, just on the outside of the flood. With help from NEMO, villagers are being ferried on boats equipped with life vests, keeping the passenger limit to ten at a time. However, with no end in sight, many villagers are starting to feel hopeless. On Sunday, Mesopotamia Area Representative Moses “Shyne” Barrow, along with the San Roman Village Council and other UDP representatives, visited the area to assess the flooding challenges. Barrow highlighted the need for more boat trips, access to clean water, and grocery assistance as key concerns among residents. Jose Carballo, Northern Regional Emergency Coordinator, mentioned that within NEMO’s designated hours, the boats are transporting villagers as frequently as possible. Britney Gordon for News Five.
The Belize City Council is the newest member of the Global Covenant of Mayors, the largest global alliance of over twelve thousand cities from over a hundred and forty countries with a commitment for city climate action. The focus of these cities are mitigation, adaptation and energy. Today, representatives of G-CoM met with Belize City Mayor, Bernard Wagner and City Administrator, Albert Vaughan to discuss how Belize can actively take part and benefit from the partnership. News Five’s Marion Ali was present and filed this report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
A new partnership between City Hall and the Global Covenant of Mayors is set to provide Belize City with invaluable technical support, enhancing our ongoing efforts to combat the devastating impacts of climate change. This collaboration positions our city to make significant strides in sustainability and resilience.
Bernard Wagner
Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City
“What this mission will seek to do is to help work along with our technical people here at the City Council to develop our Climate Action Plan. For many cities, if you don’t have a Climate Action Plan, there is no clear direction on how you want to go and you speak about it. The flooding of streets, all the coastal erosion that is occurring, but all of these are as a result of the impact of climate change. And what this Climate Action Plan does is focus on your mitigation strategy and your adaptation strategy in clear goals, clear objectives that will contribute to the reduction of those same things.”
Daniela Monteiro is an International Relations Assistant for the Global Covenant of Mayors in America’s Helpdesk. She highlighted that Belize City’s membership could open doors to opportunities through “bankable projects,” which offer significant potential benefits for our community.
Daniela Monteiro
Daniela Monteiro, International Relations Assistant, G-CoM in America’s Helpdesk
“Once you get a climate action plan, once you get project, and once you get recognized as an important city, as a city that has, you know, relevant local actions in climate change. We do facilitate the access to, you know, funding opportunities. We give visibility to the city, and we usually try to invite, as we have invited before, uh, the city’s representatives to international events. So you get that coverage, you get out there that you are interested in climate change, you are interested in doing the work, in putting the hours, so, you know, the chances of getting a project funded are a little bit better.”
G-Com collects progress reports from its member cities every two years. However, this timeframe is flexible, if cities demonstrate their commitment to taking meaningful climate action. This approach allows for adaptability while ensuring that efforts to combat climate change remain a priority. For Belize City, Mayor Bernard Wagner says we’ll need to start looking at how we’re doing things with a view to improve them rapidly, and it will take everyone’s effort.
Bernard Wagner
“We have to be doing something different. We have to begin to take ownership of climate change. Even in our own little local communities, how do we treat our environment? How do we put in place mitigation and adaptation in respect to how we dig our drains? So in our own communities, it can’t be that you wa sit there as a resident, knowing that climate change is here and do not participate in the cleaning of your drains right in front of your own property. What sort of structures we build in respect to streets? Will it be concrete? Will it be hot mix? Will it be chip and seal? All of this will be captured in our climate action plan; these are the priorities.”
Wagner reports that the technical team at City Hall has already completed a status report on the streets damaged by recent rains and floods. The estimated cost to repair these streets is a staggering one point six million dollars. Meanwhile, Daniela Monteiro said that Belize City can look to other cities that have improved upon the same challenges that we now have, in areas of infrastructure, transportation emissions, water treatment, and waste management. Marion Ali for News Five.
Belize’s single-use plastic ban kicked in at the end of March 2022, but the battle against plastic pollution is far from over. The Department of the Environment has given everyone some time to switch to more eco-friendly packaging for food, groceries, clothing, and appliances. However, despite the ban on certain plastics, there’s still a lot of plastic pollution, especially when it comes to managing garbage. Today, Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner emphasized that the D.O.E. has the authority to enforce these laws and crack down on violators.
Bernard Wagner
Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City
“We still have the problem with plastics. Plastics create a lot of environmental hazards, causing fires, many of the fires that we saw in the past, this past summer, was due to many of those plastics overheating. Again that will have to be a long-term look, based on the Department of the Environment – how stringent they will be in really policing the legislation that was passed.”
There’s a new speed bump in downtown Belize City, and while it might slow down traffic a bit, Mayor Bernard Wagner hopes it will save lives. The bump is located on Regent Street near Brodies. Today, Wagner explained to the media that it was necessary to install it there to help drivers safely access the newly rebuilt NICH parking lot without causing accidents from impatient drivers behind them.
Bernard Wagner
Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City
“To ease speeding and the parking facility, having people access the parking facility. You have to have some measure of slowing down for people to access the NICH parking facility that was recently constructed. And so the traffic committee decided to install that speed bump there. I hope it saves some lives.”
Valerie Woods, the newly elected Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Small Branches network and Speaker of the National Assembly of Belize, has pledged to strengthen and renew the CPA’s focus on supporting small branches and their parliaments. In her acceptance speech, the chairperson expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Members of the CPA Small Branches for their trust and support in electing her. Woods emphasized the importance of small legislatures within the Commonwealth coming together to tackle common challenges and share their experiences. This was a key message at the Fortieth CPA Small Branches Conference. The Chairperson of the CPA Small Branches holds an important officer role within the CPA’s governance structure. Woods will sit on the CPA International Executive Committee, ensuring that the voices of the small branches are heard within the association’s governing body.
