Implementation of the CCJ’s Consent Order 2015

The Government of Belize wishes to provide updates to the Belizean public on the progress made on the implementation of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Consent Order of 2015, and to share its position on the tension between some Maya and Non-Maya villages.

Firstly, the CCJ Ruling does not give Maya villages Carte Blanche; the delimitation of the outer limits of Maya customary lands must be done with the direct involvement of the Government of Belize and in full consultation with those concerned.

Consequently, a Maya Village ought not to place survey markers on any land which may be claimed. This can only legally be done by the Lands and Survey Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Government of Belize.

Equally, where there is a difference of opinion as to the extent of a Maya Village’s customary lands, an aggrieved party needs to report the matter to the relevant government agencies and NOT seek to take matters into their own hands.

Minister Coye on Bloomberg TV

On April 26, 2023, Bloomberg BLive hosted Kevin Bender, Senior Director, Sustainable Debt, The Nature Conservancy; Hon. Christopher Coye, Minister of State, Ministry of Finance, Economic Development, and Investment, Government of Belize; and Jill Dauchy, Founder & CEO, Potomac Group LLC discuss debt-for-nature swaps as a tool for funding biodiversity efforts at speed and scale with Bloomberg’s Natasha White. Eighteen months ago, they helped put off the largest-ever debtfor-nature swap in Belize. This enabled Belize to buy back the infamous super bond from the market at a discount and allocate some of the savings towards marine conservation.

Hon. Christopher Coye, Min. of State, “The economic outlook was certainly grim. We were in a deep crisis, fiscal economic debt crisis, but Covid simply exacerbated that situation where we were contracting around 13 percent. The debt to GDP ratio had increased from one hundred and thirty-three percent.”

Debt for nature swap between Belize and TNC is the largest of its kind which has since opened out for other investors to partake such as pensioners. This goes to the partnership as TNC did their first debt-for-nature swap with Belize in the early 2000s.

Jill Dauchy, Founder & CEO, Potomac Group LLC, “So, first of all, I'd like to say that the IMF has recently come out with a paper that said that there are fifty-nine countries that are most vulnerable to climate change. And so, the coming together of these two crises is well known and the countries themselves are starting to organize and they are starting to say that we need to solve these crises simultaneously.”

The interest of the financial world in Belize's successful Blue Bond Debt-Nature swap is still strong. The bond was signed in 2021 and in 2023 we are still the focus of this unprecedented-level transaction. You can watch and listen to the entire discourse here https://www. bloomberg.com/news/videos/2023-04-26/ blive-bloomberg-green-summit-debt-fornature-swap-video?sref=hc7V75nV

The Government is therefore calling on all parties concerned to exercise restraint. We request that everyone refrain from engaging in any action in those areas which may have the potential to create tension until we finalize the process and procedure to address all parties' rights and interests whether Maya, Non-Maya Villages or third parties. We call particular attention to Jacintovillle + San Felipe, Yemeri Grove + Laguna, Barranco + Midway, and Mafredi and surrounding communities.

The Government respects the rights of Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The government is also committed to implementing the CCJ Consent Order of 2015 and has adopted the FPIC Protocol by which we are guided in consulting with Maya communities.

Additionally, the Government is committed to consulting fully on the draft Maya Customary Land Tenure Policy. Furthermore, the Government gives its commitment to move towards putting in place the required Legislative and Administrative framework to harmonize private ownership and communal land rights.

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