Barbados and Belize have agreed to collaborate in areas of the Blue Economy sector that would be beneficial to both countries.
On Wednesday, July 5, in the margins of the 45th CARICOM Heads of Government meeting held in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados’ Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kerrie Symmonds, and Belize’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration, Eamon Courtenay, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the behalf of the Ministry of Environment and National Beautification, Green and Blue Economy and the Ministry of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation, respectively.
The ‘Blue Economy’, as a concept, is the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth and improved livelihood and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystems.
The MoU enables cooperation in several areas, including reef restoration, marine spatial planning, the development of shared knowledge, science and technology and jointly building a maritime community with a shared future.
In October 2022, the Government of Belize, through the Ministry of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation, with support from the Biodiversity Finance Initiative Belize and the United Nations Development Program, launched Belize’s first Blue Economy Development, Policy and Strategy and the first Belize Maritime Economy Plan. This was a significant step forward in defining what the Blue Economy means for Belize’s economic growth and sustainable ocean governance.
