An Update on Meeting the UNCAC Requirements

Henry Charles Usher

Campaign financing legislation continues to be an issue proposed by the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry. But will it be tabled under the Briceño administration? It falls within the scope of the United Nation Convention Against Corruption and since Belize signed on to the convention under the Barrow administration, there are key pieces of legislation that must be implemented to address corruption within the public sector. Today, Minister of Public Service Henry Charles Usher gave an update on where the country is on meeting the UNCAC requirements.

Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service

“We have two legislations that have already – one that has already been introduced – that’s the whistleblower’s legislation and protective disclosures bill. Very soon we will be introducing in the house the civil assets recovery unexplained wealth orders bill and certainly that’s another bill that we have to look at, the campaign finance reform bill. There is a proposal coming from the Chamber of Commerce that is being looked at right now not only by the Good Governance Unit, but by other ministries to see how it can be incorporated in terms of what we want to achieve as well with the campaign finance act that has to come into force – I am not sure if it will be before the end of this term, but it is something that we have to work on very soon. The issue of the civil assets recovery, it was shared with the social partners from last year and we are waiting for feedback from them. So they’ve agreed to give us feedback and we want to makes sure we incorporate that in the legislation. But these are legislative matters that fall under UNCAC and the UNCAC requirements – this is all part of that.”