Belize is a Central American country on the Caribbean Sea. Its lies south of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, with Guatemala to the west and south. Its long east coast is mainly flat and swampy. It has low mountains in the south. Tropical forest covers more than half of its land area.
- Region: Caribbean and Americas
- Population: 383,070 (2018)
- Area: 22,965 square kilometres
- Capital: Belmopan
- Joined Commonwealth: 1981, following independence from Britain
- Commonwealth Youth Index: 23 out of 49 countries
Secretariat support for Belize
Belize received Commonwealth Election Professionals (CEP) Initiative training in May 2018. Its election officials improved their knowledge of campaign and party financing, women’s participation and new media.
Countering violent extremism
The Secretariat helped Belize attend talks in Trinidad and Tobago on tackling violent and extremist views. The aim was to encourage awareness and partnerships in the region.
At a working session in 2017, the Secretariat helped Belize improve its reporting on human rights in the country under the United Nation’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process. In 2018-19, the Secretariat worked with Belize to establish a national human rights institution to help it promote, monitor and report on human rights.
The Secretariat helped Belize include young people in tackling unemployment and setting up business enterprises. 15 staff from the Belize Department of Youth received training.
The Secretariat Hub and Spokes programme sent an expert to Belize to advise on trade in services, intellectual property and competition.
The Secretariat gave advice to Belize on improving profits from its petroleum sector and managing its oil resources more sustainably.
Belize is a co-champion of the Blue Charter Action Group on Coral Reef Protection and Restoration, alongside Australia and Mauritius.
Belize is also a member of the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance and Mangrove Ecosystems and Livelihoods Action Groups.