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The Sustainable Development Goals in Belize
The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. These are the goals the UN is working on in Belize:
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04 February 2022
The kitchen, as the foundation of a new life
For many refugees and displaced people in the Americas and the Caribbean, food represents a way to hold onto their origins and share with their host communities. In From Our Table to Yours: Fusion Cuisine
For Natasha*, cooking has always been a favorite hobby. But one day, that pastime turned into her livelihood after she was forced to flee her native El Salvador to Belize, following threats from gang members.
Natasha, 39, learned to cook as a child, alongside her mother. She continued the enjoyable tradition with her own daughter, until three years ago when the two of them were forced to flee. "The gang members harassed me and my daughter… They wanted [her] to join," Natasha explains, adding that the gang resorted to creative techniques to terrorize mother and daughter. "They even walked on our roof to scare us."
Mother and daughter endured in a constant state of fear until a tragedy hit far too close to home: They learned that a friend's daughter had been kidnapped and killed by a neighborhood gang. It was then that Natasha knew they had no choice but to leave their country, and the two fled with little more than what they could carry in a backpack.
In Belize, Natasha tried to find work as a clerk in a clothing store – a job she had held for years back in El Salvador – but she had no luck. Worried about how she was going to support her daughter, Natasha decided to put the culinary skills she had learned alongside her mother to use and cook for a living.
"I've been fortunate to have found many friends here who have taught me Belizean recipes," says Natasha, who now sells local dishes with a Salvadoran twist, including the most typical Belizean specialty, Rice and Beans.
Her recipe, "chicken with rice and beans", can be found in From Our Table to Yours: Fusion Cooking, a new cookbook published by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, that is available for free download. This dish combines the most emblematic Belizean dish with the seasoned chicken and vegetables that are eaten in El Salvador.
Natasha hopes she and her daughter, now age 16, will be recognized as refugees in Belize so that they can rebuild their lives in peace. "What I love most about Belize is the peace and security that my daughter and I can enjoy here. We walk freely without fear."
Food can be a powerful tool for integration, as it was for Natasha and the 13 other displaced people who have shared their recipes in the Fusion Cuisine cookbook. But for many people who have had to flee, food is also something of constant concern. According to a recent survey by UNHCR, 48 percent of refugees in the Americas report eating only twice a day, while 6 percent of respondents eat only one meal a day.
It was precisely hunger, as well as difficulties in accessing much-needed medicine that pushed Alfredo, 68, to leave Venezuela. For this retired teacher, his monthly pension did not cover even his most basic food needs: The entire pension was enough to buy only a few kilos of rice or a half dozen eggs. Alfredo realized he had no choice but to flee, and a few years ago, he set out for Chile, where his daughter and grandchildren were waiting for him.
Although in many ways he managed to adapt well to his new life in the Chilean capital, Santiago, he found it very difficult to find a steady job. "For many months, I knocked on many doors but there was always some reason not to hire me," he recalls, "because I wasn't young, because I didn't have the right visa, because they believed I didn’t have the strength and many other reasons. I couldn't get a job, and it was very frustrating." This is a challenge faced by many older people who have been forced to start over from scratch in a new country. The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic only made the situation worse.
However, Alfredo is not one to stand idly by. In the midst of the pandemic, he heard that the local parish was looking for volunteers for the soup kitchen, to help prepare hot meals for those in need. He began to volunteer and in the soup kitchen, he not only learned to make many Chilean dishes – such as Italian squash, charquicán, and potato cake – but has also shared a host of Venezuelan recipes.
In Fusion Cuisine, Alfredo shared the recipe for “pabellón criollo,” which combines spring onion, cilantro, red pepper, and plantain.”
“This dish has so many meanings for me – it means Venezuela. When I was a child and they cooked this dish in my house, it made me happy. Today I smell it and I remember that happiness”, explains Alfredo while he cuts, whisks, and fires off jokes in the kitchen.
Each Fusion Cuisine recipe is a mixture of flavors and sensations that combine to represent both displaced people’s host countries and their countries of origin. UNHCR invites you to cook with refugees and share your recipes.
*Names have been changed for protection reasons.
VIDEO: Natasha shares how to make Belizean rice and beans in a step-by-step video. The complete recipe is available in From our table to yours: Fusion Cuisine.
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Story
21 March 2022
UN SDG Action Awards Call for Applications and Nominations
It is more important than ever to shine a spotlight on hope and togetherness — and on people making a difference everywhere — especially during this challenging moment we are currently facing. Old models have not delivered and we need new ones to fulfill the SDG promise of what most people want: more inclusive, peaceful and sustainable societies, no later than 2030.
That’s why the UN SDG Action Awards are calling for applications and nominations — for people and initiatives who are flipping the script and rethinking how we live and what progress and development look like.
The UN SDG Action Campaign remains hopeful that we can face current challenges in solidarity and flip division into togetherness, and apathy to action. It is time to react, reset, restart.
- We are looking for initiatives that inspire, mobilize and connect people to drive action towards a more sustainable future on a healthy planet.
- We are looking for individuals who are Changemakers that inspire and empower others through their actions. If you know any of these outstanding individuals, nominate them!
Applications will be reviewed against clear criteria, with winners being selected by a panel of prominent judges. Read all about the categories on our website: sdgactionawards.org.
Applications are open until 1 May 2022. Finalists and winners will be celebrated at a special event held in Bonn, Germany, during the UN General Assembly and the Global Week to #Act4SDGs in September and showcased on UN SDG Action Campaign channels throughout the year.
How to apply
Spread the word — click to tweet
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Take Action
23 March 2022
Joint Innovation Challenge 2022
The Challenge aims to support social enterprises (the Companies) registered in UNFPA programme countries to pivot from grant-making models to self-sustaining financial models, and from “doing innovation” to managing it.
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Take Action
23 March 2022
UNESCO Clubs 2022 Worldwide Youth Multimedia Competition
Applications are open for the UNESCO Clubs Worldwide Youth Multimedia Competition 2022. USFUCA, UNESCO Center for Peace, World Genesis Foundation, and WhizJuniors invite youth around the world to take part in this year's Multimedia Competition.
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Story
23 February 2023
UNESCO supports post-disaster needs assessment of Belize Culture Sector
A Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) is currently being conducted of the Culture Sector in Belize as a result of the impact of Hurricane Lisa which impacted the island as a category 1 storm on November 2, 2022. Hurricane Lisa impacted the island with hurricane/tropical storm force winds resulting in flooding to the low-lying regions of Belize City and the communities of the northwest rural Belize, as well as the capital city Belmopan.
The Belize Culture Sector was among the affected Sectors which included Housing, Infrastructure, Agriculture, Health, Education and Tourism. Led by the Government of Belize, the PDNA pulls together information into a single, consolidated report and details information on the physical impacts of the disaster, the economic value of the damage and losses, the human impact as experienced by the affected population and the related recovery needs and priorities.
The PDNA of the Culture Sector is the first of its kind to be executed in Belize and also examines research institutions, built heritage and archaeological sites, moveable heritage, collections, depositories, living heritage and culture and creative industries. Related recovery needs and priorities of the Cultural Sector will be determined. The consolidated PDNA report highlighting the culture sector will contribute to a comprehensive recovery framework for Belize.
The PDNA is undertaken with the contributions of the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) and its four institutes/departments, the Institute of Archaeology, the Institute of Creative Arts, Museums of Belize, and Houses of Culture and the Institute for Social and Cultural Research, as well as the overall coordination of the Belize National Commission for UNESCO with technical advice from the UNESCO Office for the Caribbean.
This activity was supported by the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund. We wish to thank its donors: the Qatar Fund for Development, the Government of Canada, the Kingdom of Norway, the French Republic, the Principality of Monaco, ANA Holdings INC, the Republic of Estonia, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Slovak Republic, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Principality of Andorra, the Republic of Serbia.
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Story
28 February 2023
Making Vaccines Mobile
Punta Gorda, BELIZE – A hallmark of the maternal and child health programme in Belize has been the success of the national immunisation coverage. However, with the onset of the pandemic, immunisation rates significantly decreased from 95 per cent to as low as 71 per cent in 2020 at the height of the pandemic. This has reverted hard-fought primary health care gains that have ensured low infant and child mortality and mobility levels making babies less healthy and more susceptible to preventable diseases.
Senior Public Health Nurse for the Toledo District, Deborah Ramirez Mariano, has given 11 years of service to the Punta Gorda Polyclinic. Toledo District is one of the most deprived districts in southern Belize with immunisation coverage at 45 per cent. With a little over 200 mothers attached to her clinic, her insights explain the challenges health workers have encountered in maintaining the national coverage.
“We noted that mothers were not coming to the clinics, so we ensured our mobiles went out to them in their communities. Though we made some gains, we still experienced a drop in our immunisation rates because many mothers were refusing to give their babies the vaccines. They had the mentality that the vaccines we were giving the babies were the COVID-19 vaccines. Even though we explained that this was the same vaccines from before COVID they were still skeptical and refused to comply.”
Despite their assurances to the concerned mothers those beliefs contributed to the decrease in the babies vaccinated. Nurse Ramirez Mariano explains that to date the only vaccine schedule on track is the BCG vaccine. All other vaccines are below an average of 70 per cent in her district.
UNICEF has accelerated its support to the Ministry of Health & Wellness to address these challenges as a national priority. Through the provision of UNICEF Global HAC over $300,000 Belizean dollars has been invested in strengthening the cold chain system in health facilities. The Punta Gorda Polyclinic and community hospital in Toledo District are among the facilities that have benefited from this support. Cold chain equipment has been provided to improve vaccine management within the district facilities and to support health care workers to increase mobile clinics conducted to take the vaccines to the community. State-of-the-art equipment were purchased to bolster the national cold chain including freezers, cold boxes, temperature monitors and cars to enable transportation of vaccines and nurses to ensure uninterrupted service delivery.
Nurse Ramirez Mariano shares that the cold chain equipment provided has been very critical to managing the bulk supply of vaccines provided to Punta Gorda and San Antonio. She explains, “the 3 nurses that work in this area, we have over 20 villages to cover to ensure mothers and children are getting the health services they need."
"In some instances, we must walk 2 hours to reach the communities because the roads are impassable by vehicles. Our small coolers and temperature monitoring devices helps us to maintain the cold chain as we take the vaccines to the community.”
With the equipment provided to the Ministry of Health & Wellness each health care worker can reach 50 families per week taking lifesaving vaccines to mothers and their babies to restore the coverage to pre-covid immunisation rate. The support of the HAC global partners has been timely and invaluable in scaling up and accelerating recovery response to reach children and mothers especially from migrant, host and vulnerable communities.
Over $1USD million invested in 2022
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Story
09 February 2023
Artificial Intelligence harnessed to promote responsible alcohol consumption in Belize
Belize City, Belize, December 05, 2022 (PAHO) – With more than 200 health conditions linked to alcohol use, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) joined forces with the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW) to launch the first and free digital health specialist (artificial intelligence (AI)), Pahola, for Alcohol Use in Belize.
Programmed with the latest information and research, Pahola provides instant and accurate advice and information that can simultaneously help millions of drinkers reduce their alcohol consumption. As an online site, this digital health specialist is easily accessible anytime and anywhere to those seeking guidance on alcohol use and misuse.
The Region of the Americas ranks as the second highest for alcohol consumption with 54 percent of the total population being current drinkers. New technologies such as Pahola not only expand access to knowledge but with artificial intelligence, it is also designed to be empathic and supportive at times when an actual health professional is not available.
Between 2017 to 2021, the National Drug Abuse Control Council, the Ministry of Health and Wellness reported providing outreach services to 688 clients with alcohol consumption use countrywide. To complement, NDACC outreach services, the goal of Pahola is not only to reduce the rate of alcohol use but also to help people better recognize the harmful effects caused by alcohol and the burden it places on their overall well-being. Misuse of alcohol can lead to negative health and social effects such as drunk driving, domestic violence, several forms of cancer, chronic liver disease such as cirrhosis, and heart disease. With Pahola, people can learn and understand how they can live a better life by drinking less alcohol.
Pahola is designed to respond to questions like ‘how do I know if I drink too much?’. Pahola is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese and can now be accessed on the MoHW’s website. Along with Pahola, persons can also turn to the National Drug Abuse Control Council (NDACC) and the Mental Health Unit at various health facilities to seek resources and guidance on alcohol use.
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Story
23 March 2022
Reham al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship
The Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship was mandated in December 1980 by UN General Assembly Resolution 35/201. Formerly known as the DPI Training Programme for Broadcasters and Journalists from Developing Countries, the programme was renamed in 2003 in honor of Reham Al-Farra, a 29-year-old Jordanian public information officer who was killed in the 19 August 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad.
The Fellowship is a unique opportunity for young (22 to 35), working journalists from developing countries and countries with economies in transition to cover the United Nations. Hosted every autumn at UN Headquarters, the programme brings a select group of journalists to New York to cover the opening of the General Assembly for their news outlets.
During the 3-week programme, fellows have an opportunity to attend special briefings, interview senior officials and exchange ideas with colleagues from around the world. In previous years, fellows have met with the UN Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General, President of the General Assembly and permanent representatives to the United Nations. The programme also arranges visits to various news organizations, such as the New York Times, Democracy Now! and BuzzFeed.
Since its founding in 1981, the fellowship has been awarded to 611 journalists from 168 countries. Upon completion of the programme, fellows are expected to continue working in journalism and promote better understanding of the United Nations in their home countries. The programme does not provide basic skills training, as all fellows are working journalists.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the RAF Fellowship went virtual for the first time in its history in 2020. A special programme was organized for RAF alumni in commemoration of its 40th anniversary.
2021 VIRTUAL PROGRAMME
Due to the ongoing travel restrictions, the Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship Programme, was held fully virtually, from 20 September to 8 October 2021. Out of this year’s 800 applicants, 19 journalists between the ages of 22 and 35 working in print, TV, radio, podcast and multimedia, were awarded the fellowship. The programme focused on UN issues, such as global health, climate change, refugees, and human rights. The RAF fellows had the opportunity to virtually meet UN officials, including the Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General, and Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications.
Over the course of the programme, the journalists produced 86 news pieces in 6 languages: English, French, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Nepali.
Apply now: https://www.un.org/en/raf/application2022
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Story
23 March 2022
UNAOC Launches Call for Applications for Young Peacebuilders in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2022 edition
Taking place in Latin America and the Caribbean. The call is open to participants between 18 to 25 years old, from the region, with a strong interest in growing their ability to act as agents of peace in their community, region, and beyond, and to prevent violent extremism through intercultural and interfaith dialogue.
Twenty young women and young men will be selected to participate in intercultural dialogue and peacebuilding experience. They will interact online, through a series of facilitated modules, and in person, during a one-week workshop. After completing the peace education training, participants will act as a force multiplier of the lessons learned through the programme and actively take part in follow-up activities at the community level. At the end of the project, participants are invited for a symposium to share their experience, achievements, and recommendations with a broader audience of practitioners, UN, policymakers, media, and civil society, bringing visibility to their initiatives towards the promotion of diversity and dialogue.
Implemented with the generous support of the Agencia Extremeña de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AEXCID), and in collaboration with the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY), the programme supports the growth of networks of young peacebuilders who are equipped with the tools to address negative stereotypes, prejudice, and polarization in order to build more inclusive and peaceful societies, tackling the drivers of violent extremism. The long-term aim is their integration in governmental peace processes and policies. It is part of UNAOC’s educational programming for young people, which seeks to enhance the ability of young people and their organizations to foster mutual respect, understanding, and long-term positive relationships between peoples of different cultures and religions.
More details on the programme and eligibility criteria are available here. To apply, click here.
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Press Release
19 April 2022
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Joint Programme Launched to Support Social Protection and Local Economic Development in Belize
This launch signified a major achievement for the Government of Belize as the programme factors in and prioritizes key outcomes outlined in Plan Belize and the Government’s Medium-Term Development Strategy Priority Areas of Poverty reduction and Economic growth. The programme, which will run from 2022-2023, will also accelerate the government’s commitments to the SDGs, through the enhancement of a social protection system and an enabling environment for local economic development.
In her keynote remarks, Hon. Dolores Balderamos Garcia, Minister of Human Development Families and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, emphasized the need to address the most vulnerable through coordinated partnerships to reduce poverty. She explained, “the SDG Joint Programme builds on the consensus that social protection is a human right; and supports poverty reduction and economic growth as articulated in our Medium-term Development Strategy.” She elaborated on the need and relevance of a Social Protection Floor that establishes a basic set of rights for all Belizeans and lauded the Joint Programme as providing inclusive socioeconomic development as a key component.
Belize has a current debt/GDP of approximately 123% in which the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant social, economic, and political impacts. Additionally, poverty was already high, at 41% in 2009, and is estimated at 52% prior to COVID-19, in 2018, with children being the most affected. Birgit Gerstenberg, the UN Resident Coordinator in Belize, expressed the UN system’s appreciation for the government's commitment as the Joint Programme will “enable economic opportunities, decent jobs, and livelihood opportunities that will sequentially improve the standard of living for the most vulnerable.”
Additionally, Dr. Osmond Martinez, Chief Executive Officer, Ministry of Economic Development (MED), spoke of the SDG Joint Programme as a complement to the government’s work to redistribute wealth and increase the social protection floor to ensure we leave no one behind. He also highlighted the programme support to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) as a pivotal role in poverty reduction and increasing prosperity and equity for all Belizeans.
The launch also provided a platform for discussion to identify immediate next steps and key milestones towards implementation of the programme.
END
For more information, please contact:
Stephanie Daniels, sdaniels@unicef.org | Communications Officer, UNICEF
Aurelio Sho, pdcc.ppu@humandev.gov.bz | Programme and Communications Officer, Ministry of Human Development Families and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs
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Press Release
19 January 2022
PAHO/WHO Belize donate Smoking and COVID-19 posters to the National Drug Abuse and Control Council (NDACC) and Protection of Human Rights of Older Persons booklets to the National Council on Ageing (NCA)
298 booklets promoting the protection of Human Rights of Older Persons were also donated to the National Council on Ageing. These booklets will be used to sensitize the management of residential homes and caregivers within public and private residential homes. Older persons are often vulnerable to abuse and thus it is necessary that persons with the responsibility to ensure the wellness of older persons be knowledgeable with protecting the human rights of older persons.
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Press Release
19 January 2022
Government of Belize Signs onto the Regional 2022-2026 United Nations Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework
In his remarks, Foreign Minister Courtenay highlighted the synergies between the framework and Belize’s national development strategies and called for a focus on participatory governance mechanisms to improve development efforts. Ms. Gerstenberg affirmed that this new strategic partnership will help to accelerate action during the next five years on common development priorities.
The 2022-2026 UN MSDCF is the strategic framework that represents the UN’s collective response to addressing the common development challenges of the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean. It provides a common platform for development cooperation to Belize that is strongly rooted and linked to national priorities. The framework prioritizes outcomes in the region in four areas: economic resilience and shared prosperity; equality and wellbeing; resilience to climate change shocks and sustainable natural resource management; and peace, safety, justice, and the rule of law.
These outcomes will be pursued in Belize by 19 UN agencies, both resident and non-resident, working together with national and international development partners, including governments, civil society, and private sector.
This is the second generation of this regional framework. Belize is the first of the 18 countries in the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean to officially launch the new UN MSDCF.
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Press Release
19 January 2022
PAHO/WHO Belize Donate Personal Protective Equipment to KHMH to Support COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control Measures
600 KN95 respirator masks
1,800 face shields
15,000 surgical masks
15,040 surgical gowns
30,000 latex gloves (XS, S, M, ML, L, XL)
The PPEs will be useful in keeping the staff of KHMH safe from COVID-19 as they continue to support the country in its efforts to combat the virus.
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Press Release
19 January 2022
PAHO/WHO Belize and the Government of Germany Donate Personal Protective Equipment to SCFB to Support COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control Measures
45 boxes face masks (50 masks per box)
6 hand sanitizers (1 gal.)
The PPEs will be useful in keeping the members of The SCFB safe from COVID-19 as they are vulnerable to getting infected and suffer the consequences of the infection.
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Latest Resources
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Resources
28 December 2021
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