The Belize Carnival Association is considering conducting a test-run of its upcoming carnival performances, implementing the newly proposed route suggested by National Celebration Commission. It begins the parade at Memorial Park and concludes at the Marion Jones Stadium. At the proposal of this new route, the association has expressed skepticism but the National Celebrations Commission, the Belize Tourism Board, and Belize Police Department claim that it is an ideal route for the safety of the public. Francis Fonseca, Minister of Culture gave us some more insight into the situation.
Francis Fonseca
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Culture
“We’re working very closely with the Carnival Association. They are represented on the National Celebrations Commission. My own personal view is that the new proposed route is fantastic. I think it’s ideal and it’s not something that, we just came up with out of thin air the B.T.B. got a consultant to do an evaluation, a review of the carnival last year. And they made some very good recommendations. And then we reviewed that at our National Celebrations Commission. We discussed the matter with, of course, the Belize Police Department. They are also represented on the commission. We discussed it with all the stakeholders represented on the commission. And the general consensus was that we should propose this new route to the Carnival Association. But, of course we have to respect the role of the association. So we tabled that proposal with them. They have taken it back to their members. They wanted to carry out, as you rightly pointed out, a dry run. they did so, we arranged for that with the police and the Belize City Council. I think generally their feedback has been very positive. But, we will wait for them to make a final decision on that matter before we announce formally this new route.”
The preparations for Belize’s forty third anniversary celebrations have commenced, and the National Celebrations Commission is ready to begin work in every municipality. Currently, all but one of Belize’s nine municipalities are P.U.P-governed, with the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena as the sole U.D.P. represented. Today, at the unveiling of Belize’s forty-third anniversary celebrations theme, Francis Fonseca, Chairman of the National Celebrations Commission, told us that all municipalities will be treated equally.
Francis Fonseca
Francis Fonseca, Chairman, National Celebrations Commission
“They have gotten the same amount every single year for the past four years that I have been the commission. That was not the case under the previous government when the P.U.P. city councils got zero from the National Celebrations Commission. So that, for the past four years, that has been our mark. In terms of ensuring and Mayor Trapp is right here. That’s why he comes to our events because he understands that we are partnering with him and working with him. So there’s no question about that. We treat Mayor Trapp, we treat the U.D.P. Town Council the same way we treat every other Town Council.”
Recently, the Government of Belize congratulated several foreign allies on the results of their internal elections. Among them is El Salvador, which re-elected President Nayib Bukele in February and inaugurated him on Saturday. Bukele’s administration has come under criticism recently for the mass incarceration of El Salvador’s gang members, leading some to protest his election. When asked about Belize’s attendance at the inauguration ceremony, Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign affairs, said that Belize attended to respect El Salvador’s democratic integrity and further strengthen ties with the country. Fonseca also congratulates India and Mexico on the election of their prime minister and president, respectively. Here’s more on that.
Francis Fonseca
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs
“We engage with leaders from all over the world. That doesn’t mean that we support their policies and their programs. But we respect the determination and decisions of their people to elect them. And we thought it was important for Belize to engage and to be present just to participate in the inauguration ceremony because we are also involved at the economic level in terms of specific projects that we’re working on with Salvador. We’re working on a sort of free trade agreement with what we call a partial scope agreement with Salvador to improve and expand trading opportunities for Belize. We’re also looking at tourism. How can we expand tourism with Salvador and again, also agriculture. So those were three areas and also investment for areas that we discussed with President Bukele and his team. Belize has a fairly, strong relationship with the government of India diplomatic relationship. But we’re always looking for opportunities to strengthen that relationship, expand that relationship again. You’re talking about a country of one point four billion or so people so therein, again, you have tremendous opportunities for tourism, for trade, for investment so you know we certainly look forward we’ve had a good relationship over the past three and a half years with India. The government of Prime Minister Modi he has been reelected by the people of India. And although his government lost some ground he has been re elected. And we look forward, again, to working with him and his government and strengthening the bilateral ties between Belize and India. We were very excited about the election of the new president Doctor Claudia Sheinbaum in Mexico. She represents the same party of the present president, president Amlo. I’m looking we have enjoyed a very good relationship with President Amlo. Particularly Prime Minister Briceño, has a very strong personal relationship with him. Prime Minister has already spoken to the new president-elect. He spoke to her the night of the election, her election victory. So we look forward again. There are tremendous opportunities for Belize in terms of our relationship with Mexico.”
There has been a continuous shortage of license plates and license stickers for over a year. Today, the Minister of Transport, Rodwell Ferguson, explained the reason for this. When the media asked him about it, he also denied that he gave the contract for the productions of license plates and stickers to an affiliate. Ferguson says the shortage of license plates should be resolved by August.
Rodwell Ferguson
Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Transport
“That’s not true. And I just implement the procurement system in the ministry that if you will buy a license plate, if you are buy anything you must produce the three-supplier invoice and then we’ll decide – it doesn’t have to be the least but depends on the quality. We just asked the Ministry of Finance for a de-reservation so by August I can guarantee you that the license plate problem in Belize will be fully over.”
Reporter
“How did we get into this situation though because it seems like when you transition from U.D.P. to P.U.P., obviously I understand unu cut off the U.D.P. suppliers but it seems that whoever picked it up on your end didn’t pick it up well.”
Rodwell Ferguson
“It will never be the supplier. Once you make a request, the supplier should be able to produce. The problem could be in house where we never got maybe enough money to sustain and purchase license plates. Now we have resolved that issue.”
If you visit San Pedro and need to get around during the lunch hour, you’d probably reach your destination quicker if you walk. The traffic in San Pedro has gotten so congested with an overabundance of vehicles and golf carts that the San Pedro Twon Council and the area representative have sought the assistance of the Ministry of Transport to solve the problem. Today, Minister Ferguson said the Transport Department will come up with a plan to address that issue.
Rodwell Ferguson
Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Transport
“I was in San Pedro last week, likewise Caye Caulker, and I see the chaos in San Pedro with the amount of traffic, and so we are trying to come up with a plan to present to Cabinet how we can mitigate and reduce the amount of traffic in San Pedro because if I was a tourist, I’d never visit San Pedro because it’s too much traffic. So I’m hopeful that once it works, then you’ll see the results.”
Reporter
“But it’s a problem. I understand it’s a traffic problem, but it’s also a volume problem. They have too many, too much heavy equipment, too much golf carts, too much vans, too much, too many vehicles.”
Rodwell Ferguson
“Soon we will ask for a moratorium on golf carts. So you can only maybe replace the one that you have. We have to bring any additional group because it’s too consistent.”
The deadline for the bus operators to come on stream with their upgraded fleets of buses is December. That’s six months from now. But the stringent regulations that were being imposed on the operators will not be so bad after all. Today, Minister Ferguson said that once the operators follow the basic requirements, they will be allowed to run, but one of those rules is to have adequate seating spaces on their buses.
Rodwell Ferguson
Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Transport
“I can tell you that some operators are already making some upgrades. I will not come down that’s stiff as we had initially. We recognize that they can’t afford to buy a bus for $120,000. All we’re asking them now is to make sure they have a good engine, they have good tires, make sure they have a jack, make sure they have a spare tire, so when they go on the highway, then they’ll be able to have a more comfortable and more better ride. The last time I was in a bus on Marine Parade, I personally sat down in the bus, and I said the most comfortable space is 16 and a half inches. So when I sat down, 16 and a half inches of space, I didn’t knock on the back of the other seat.”
Marion Ali
“Okay, but what kind of enforcement, what kind of monitoring is being done to ensure that the rules and regulations that you put on paper is actually being followed out there practically.”
Rodwell Ferguson
“Give me up to December 21st, 2024, and I’m going to see the reinforcements with the seating arrangement, likewise.”
Kenrick Longsworth, charged with the murder of his 3-year-old stepson Mark Teul and the attempted murder of Mark’s siblings, Zemar and Markeem Teul, has been found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. Additionally, he was found guilty of wounding Zemar but not guilty of wounding Markeem.
Justice Derick Sylvester of the High Court ruled that while Longsworth admitted to striking Mark, he did not cause the fatal injuries intentionally. The decision followed extensive evidence, including testimonies from the children’s mother, police, a neighbor, and two doctors. Despite Longsworth’s defense blaming the children’s mother, the judge concluded that Longsworth inflicted the injuries leading to Mark’s death, resulting in a manslaughter conviction.
The judge noted the children had been abused before January 10, 2020.
The Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) fired off a press release this morning, denying rumors that an export license was issued for sugar allegedly found being shipped out of the country at a northern Belize border location.
In its release, BAHA says that it is not a “licensing authority for agricultural commodities.”
“BAHA regulates imports to comply with sanitary and phytosanitary requirements as a risk management strategy against plant pests and animal diseases, and to ensure that only safe food is imported. Importers are legally required to obtain BAHA import permits, which details conditions for importation, for this process.”
BAHA says that BSI-ASR and Santander Sugar are the only two companies that receive inspection and certification services for sugar exportation. It says that the only authorized exit points are the Port of Belize LTD and the Port of Big Creek, where BAHA personnel ensure that only certified consignments are shipped out.
BAHA categorically denies any involvement in the irregular export of sugar to Mexico or any other country.
by Javier Villanueva,Senior fishery and aquaculture officer for Latin America and the Caribbean. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
On June 5th, two highly relevant days are commemorated, strongly connected to the sustainability of fishing: World Environment Day and the International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing.
IUU fishing represents a significant threat to the sustainability of the oceans, marine biodiversity, coastal communities, and the livelihoods that depend on fishing. This activity, conducted outside the standards and responsibilities established by international instruments, undermines efforts to conserve and sustainably manage fishery resources. In Latin America and the Caribbean, around 21.6 million people depend on the fishing sector, highlighting the importance of effectively addressing this issue.
The concept of IUU fishing, adopted through international instruments and national legal frameworks, encompasses broad and complex components that often overlap. This multifaceted nature poses significant challenges in its implementation. Understanding and operationally defining each aspect is a crucial first step in adopting effective measures that improve fishery management, considering the particularities of legal, management, institutional, operational, and governance systems.
For some years now, the FAO has developed methods to estimate the scale of IUU fishing, responding to the needs of fishing countries seeking to understand the extent of this activity. There are two main approaches: the first is based on magnitude estimates to mobilize public opinion, political will, technological development, and the financial resources necessary to improve monitoring, control, and surveillance systems; the second approach, focused on indicators, helps fisheries authorities use their data to assess the effectiveness of these systems, identify threats, and ensure that resources are appropriately allocated.
In the region, several countries have taken significant measures to combat IUU fishing. Currently, 15 countries have ratified the Port State Measures Agreement, an initiative promoted by the FAO and unique that establishes a common framework to prevent, deter, and eliminate IUU fishing, facilitating information exchange and international cooperation. Its implementation contributes to more responsible and sustainable fisheries management and currently has more than one hundred countries committed globally.
The fight against IUU fishing reinforces the FAO’s work agenda and is a component of the Blue Transformation program promoted by the Organization. This program highlights the need to sustainably expand aquatic food systems, promote healthy and nutritious diets, foster equitable growth, and protect the environment.
In preparation for the Third United Nations Ocean Conference, to be held in France in 2025, Costa Rica will host the event Submerged in Change on June 7-8 this year. A new edition of the FAO’s State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture report will be launched during this event, emphasizing the strategic importance of measures to advance fishery sustainability.
The future of the planet and future generations depends on the actions and commitments we make today together: governments, the private sector, communities, and international organizations must work in coordination to ensure the sustainability of marine resources.
Only through coordinated and sustainable efforts can we ensure that the oceans remain a vital source of food, employment, well-being, and livelihood for millions of people in Latin America and the Caribbean. Better Production is key to a Better Environment, Better Nutrition, and a Better Life, leaving no one behind.
The Belize Sugar Industries Limited is expressing concerns over what it describes as the Commission of Inquiry’s change of focus.
In a release, BSI says that “because it operates in a commodity business that is very competitive, it cannot share proprietary and confidential information.”
BSI says it cannot disclose proprietary and confidential information. The company has also informed the government that it will not cooperate with a COI if its focus shifts towards using the process to negotiate a new commercial agreement, as this is a “private commercial matter.”
