ILO and national partners continue progress under Resilient Belize project

Three major initiatives to strengthen Belize’s social protection system advanced in October 2023 with support from the ILO under the Joint Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Fund Programme: Building a resilient Belize through universal, adaptive, and sustainable social protection.



Ranging from capacity building in statistical systems and contributions at the national Social Protection Summit to the development of a cost assessment of unemployment insurance, the activities are part of an overall roadmap for achieving more inclusive social protection. They pave the way to greater access for social protection for all people in Belize, especially the poor and most vulnerable, so they can benefit from economic opportunities, decent jobs, and livelihood opportunities that will improve their standard of living.



A training session to enhance capabilities of focal points on social protection statistics so they can effectively pave the way to a national social protection strategy, was held from on 16 October 2023 in Belize City. The capacity building event was co-facilitated by the ILO and the Government to cover effective data collection, calculating Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators and other social protection indicators and mapping of the data ecosystem. Sessions were led by Darlene Haylock, Sustainable Development Officer at the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Joana Borges, ILO Specialist for Social Protection and Occupational Safety and Health, and Pamela Bradley, ILO National Project Coordinator, with support from ILO Consultant Pilar Cariño.



Immediately after the training, Belize’s Social Protection Summit (17 to 20 October 2023) provided a platform to further develop the national social protection strategy. The ILO was represented during the four-day event by Joana Borges who provided technical insights and guidance to promote the advantages of investments in social security, including poverty reduction and minimized disruptions to livelihoods during crisis situations, and other areas of support. Key participants included decision makers and social partners, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) and the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI). Notably the Ministry of Human Development, Families & Indigenous People’s Affairs (MHD) and the Ministry of Economic Development (MED), and Social Security Board (SSB) served as key facilitators to encourage dialogue among all stakeholders.



“The ILO was honoured to play an important role at the Social Protection Summit. The gathering represented a significant milestone within the framework of the Joint SDG Fund Programme to make progress on the national strategy to achieve a comprehensive social protection floor in Belize, ensuring inclusivity across the spectrum,” said Joana Borges.



In another area of related support, the ILO will soon publish a cost assessment for an unemployment insurance (UI) scheme in Belize. The report provides two specific design options aligned with the two most important ILO Conventions for UI: the Social Security (Minimum Standards Convention, 1952 (No. 102) and Employment Promotion and Protection against Unemployment Convention, 1988 (No. 168). Authors also include a scenario in which a shock such as a natural catastrophe or economic downturn affects the country to emphasize why social protection mechanisms such as UI are essential for socio-economic stabilization.



"In addition to the other participating United Nations agencies, the ILO's support has been an important thread in the tapestry of work we have been doing through the Joint SDG Fund Programme in Belize. The ILO's commitment to decent work and social justice has stood as an important pillar to the larger outcomes of the project and we appreciate the guidance they have lent to the cause," said Ms. Gabrielle Hulse, Economist in the Belize Ministry of Economic Development.



As the Joint SDG Programme prepares to conclude the Resilient Belize project in the next few months, the ILO is committed to continuing to work with the Government of Belize and social partners to ensure the country’s social protection strategy provides a solid foundation for implementation that expands and improves access to social protection nationally. Dialogue around the unemployment insurance and other recommendations coming out of the actuarial valuation being carried by the SSB, in partnership with ILO, will also be very strategic in the near future.



More information about Building a resilient Belize through universal, adaptive and sustainable social protection is available on the ILO's website .