B.U.I.L.D. TRAINING IN DANGRIGA

spoken about in the IDB report, now that five percent will go down even further as I was made to under that the Business Processing Unit is looking at 500 jobs in this area. Having more people at work will help the economy as it will drive down poverty.”

We know that providing education, training, and employment opportunities to our youth helps break the cycle of poverty and creates a brighter future for our Belizean people and so we are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this impactful initiative.” be doing a great job in the BPO that is about to open.”

The program is for five weeks and provides fundamentals of work-life balance, basic financial principles, and saving which are beneficial. It also includes emotional intelligence, and communication skills which are core to surviving in the BPO industry.

Hon. Zabaneh stated, “We are extremely proud of each and every one of you for sacrificing time over the past five weeks, we have made it.”

Over the weekend the Hon. Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Area Representative of the Dangriga Constituency was once again honored to host another graduating class of 87 strong from the B.U.I.L.D Program in Dangriga Town.

On the invitation of Hon. Dr. Louis Zabaneh, the Mayor of Belize City His Worship Bernard Wagner had the pleasure of delivering the keynote address to the second graduating cohort of Dr. Zabaneh’s Belize Unity Institute for Leadership and Development (BUILD) program in Dangriga Town. The graduates have now completed their Employment

Capacity Building Certification which prepares them to be gainfully employed by the BPO Industry. Their first chance in the industry will be at the new RCC BPO which will officially open later this month at their new location in Dangriga Town.

Mayor Wagner, “It is an excellent program, I believe that we need more programs such as these and I have to commend the Business Processing aspect of the economy that has really taken off in Belize City and is oblivious by now venturing into the southern part of the country.”

He went on to say, “That is showing that the five percent unemployment

The training looks at communication skills, the do’s and don’t of an interview as well as professional decorum. B.U.I.L.D. is the brainchild of the Hon. Dr Louis Zabaneh Minister of State in the Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Technology, “Our target is 500, this is five hundred vibrant, young people from the Dangriga, Stann Creek community that will

Congratulations to the 87 members of Cohort 2! Adding to the 113 members of Cohort 1. Also in attendance for this momentous occasion were Mayor Robert Mariano, Senator Hon. Collet Montejo, Councillor Javier Castellanos, and Ms. Sheryl Arzu of RCC BPO. This initiative came to light through the collaboration of the Area Representative, Constituency, BPO Community, and the Investment arm BELTRAIDE.

Prime Minister Briceño Attends IX Summit of the Association of Caribbean States

Cabinet Brief

Belmopan, May 17, 2023

• Cabinet continued the discussion on ways to address the rising cost of living. It was requested that the Minister of Agriculture convenes a meeting with importers and suppliers to discuss ways to reduce the cost of major food items as well as inputs used to produce locally made food products and to propose recommendations to reduce the cost of living for Cabinet’s consideration.

• After a full discussion on the sugar industry and the revelation that for two years the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) had not benefited from premiums derived from fair trade, Cabinet approved BZ$1 million in subsidies for the association to be used for fertilizer to improve crop yield.

• Cabinet requested that the Financial Secretary instruct the Belize Tax Services Limited to check into businesses that continue to charge tax on feminine products. These became GST-exempt effective 1st April with a grace period of one month for products that were already in stock to be depleted. Cabinet continued the discussion on the establishment of the Belize Government Lotteries Ltd., a government-owned company, and approved the introduction of amendments to the Lotteries Act to accommodate for government to sell lotteries nationwide. These amendments will be introduced at the next sitting of the House of Representatives scheduled for 19th May 2023.

• Cabinet gave its approval for the Minister of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation to sign a memorandum of understanding on Deepening Blue Economy Cooperation with the Government of Barbados, through its Ministry of Environment and National Beautification, Green and Blue Economy. The MOU will strengthen the knowledge capacity in the blue economy, broaden and expand relations between the extensive scientific and technological communities, and strengthen cooperation between both countries in areas of mutual benefit.

• Finally, Cabinet gave its recommendation on several legislative amendments to be tabled at Friday’s sitting of the House of Representatives.

On May 12, 2023, Prime Minister Hon. John Briceño led Belize’s delegation at the IX Summit of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) held in Antigua, Guatemala.

The summit was held under the theme, “Innovating integration through the sustainable development of the Greater Caribbean.” It was preceded by Senior Officials and Ministerial meetings.

The Delegations deliberated on themes such as strengthening and developing collective capacities of the Greater Caribbean, promoting the sustainable development of the Caribbean Sea, post-COVID-19 recovery, and revitalizing, and strengthening the ACS. The summit concluded with the adoption of the Declaration of Antigua.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Briceño encouraged the ACS “to remain relevant and viable” amidst global challenges and to refocus on the organization’s roots - the sustainable development of the Caribbean Sea.

Prime Minister Briceño also held bilateral meetings with H.E. Dr. Alejandro Giammattei Falla, President of the Republic of Guatemala, as well as with leaders of the delegations of ACS observer nations, who were present, to discuss matters of mutual interest. These included the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Korea, Slovenia, Spain, and Saudi Arabia.

Belize’s delegation included Ms. Narda Garcia, Chief Executive Officer in the Office of the Prime Minister; H.E. Jose Alpuche, Ambassador of Belize to Guatemala; and Mr. Idelso Leslie, serving Belize since 1957 as the longest continuous newspaper.

Counsellor at the Embassy of Belize in Guatemala.

The Association of Caribbean States is an association of nations centered in the Caribbean Basin. It was formed with the aim of promoting consultation, cooperation, and concerted action among all the countries of the Caribbean coastal area. The ACS Secretariat is in Trinidad & Tobago.

Founder: Rt. Hon. George Cadle Price, People’s United Party Leader Emeritus OFFICE

Fairtrade is a global movement represented by the Fairtrade Foundation. It works with farming co-operatives, businesses, and governments to make trade fair. It requires companies to pay sustainable prices that must never be below the current market prices. This ensures that vulnerable communities, farmers, and producers not only get better prices but are also able to improve their working conditions and sustainability. There are social, environmental, and economic benefits to be had from the premium prices that are paid for Fairtrade-certified products. These premium prices are over and above the Fairtrade price and this extra payment is reinvested into the communal funds for workers to use as they may need for improvement of quality of their lives.

In fact, Fairtrade envisions a world based on fairness and where producers can earn secure and sustainable livelihoods. So that purchasing fairtrade products helps to end the exploitation of farmers and workers by guaranteeing fair prices and through the premium prices that are then reinvested into housing and education grants, farm improvements, and school allotments as well as improvements of social, economic, and environmental welfare. This week, ASR mistakenly took out the fidget spinner instead of the spin doctor. William Neal was missed, while the spokesperson for the miller half-heartedly tried to convince himself that they had nothing to hide. It was obvious that they are chafing under the new Statutory Instrument that now forces them to disclose just how much sugar they sell at premium Fairtrade prices. The reason, Hon Jose Abelardo Mai explains, is that simply the farmers need to know how much Fairtrade premium is due to them. That premium is paid to the farmers at the point of export to guarantee that they will receive the agreed price promised. Therefore, all the reports that the miller makes, to all the authorities are all fine and dandy, but those reports have nothing to prove as to the quantity of Fairtrade sugar sold.

ASR/BSI is trying to deflect from the real issue at hand claiming they are being unfairly targeted and burdened by bureaucracy no other business entity is subjected to. We take the time to remind them that indeed they have also been given perks enshrined within the law, they are guaranteed tax exemptions and duty concessions to compete against the small sugar cane farmer in this country that have no access to these advantages. ASR/BSI has nothing to fear from doing the ethical thing. Report the exports and sales of the premium Fairtrade sugar and let the farmers collect the money due to them. The refusal, the denial to do what is right for the small farmers, and the taking away of their opportunities to better their lot signify that even shame has eluded them and thus ASR/BSI simply is left with nothing to lose.