Belize Assumes Leadership of CARIFORUM for 2025

Belize has officially assumed the chairmanship of CARIFORUM, the Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States, for the first half of 2025. Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Dr. Osmond Martinez, has assumed the role of Chair of the regional organisation. An official statement said that this leadership shift represents Belize’s growing influence in regional trade and integration efforts.

In preparation for its new leadership role, Belize hosted a CARIFORUM delegation this past week. The delegation, led by Director General Alexis Downes-Amsterdam, engaged in a series of discussions with Belizean officials. The talks focused on several key areas, including policy dialogue, development cooperation, and ongoing trade agreements with the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK).

During these discussions, Minister Martinez pointed out the need to rebrand CARIFORUM to better address the current challenges facing member states. He stressed that the organisation must prioritise initiatives that will bring tangible benefits to both individual countries and the region as a whole.

CARIFORUM is an organisation that brings together Caribbean nations to promote economic, social, and cultural cooperation. It aims to boost regional development through collaboration on important issues such as trade, education, and climate change. The group is part of a broader coalition, the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) group, which includes countries from three different continents working together to improve their global standing and development outcomes.