In the wake of a devastating series of earthquakes that have left more than 3,800 people dead and widespread destruction across Venezuela, the small Central American nation of Belize has stepped forward to contribute critical humanitarian supplies as part of a broader regional relief effort coordinated through the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Belize’s donation, which fills three shipping containers, includes essential pharmaceutical products, non-perishable food staples for displaced families, and cleaning supplies to help communities restore basic sanitary conditions after the disaster. The combined aid shipment departed Georgetown Port in Guyana on Wednesday, carried aboard a dedicated CARICOM relief vessel that holds a total of 88 containers of assistance bound for earthquake-ravaged Venezuelan towns and neighborhoods.
Gale Miller Garnett, Belize’s High Commissioner to Guyana, joined Guyana’s Prime Minister Mark Phillips at the port to oversee the shipment’s departure. She framed the contribution as an act of reciprocal solidarity, noting that Venezuela has supported Belize for decades through initiatives like the Petrocaribe energy cooperation agreement, which has delivered critical energy assistance to Caribbean nations through multiple iterations of regional partnership. “It was a wonderful feeling because of the fact that it was a symbol of Belize as a country supporting the Venezuelan people,” Garnett said of the occasion. “Venezuela was there for us through Petrocaribe and all of so many different iterations of assistance. So it was a proud moment for us.”
As regional partners deliver life-saving aid on the ground, Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez has renewed urgent calls for international sanctions relief and the release of billions of dollars in Venezuelan assets frozen in overseas financial institutions. Rodriguez has emphasized that these assets would be more than sufficient to fund full-scale reconstruction of infrastructure damaged and destroyed by the earthquakes if they are unblocked.
At the center of Rodriguez’s campaign is a request addressed to King Charles III for the release of approximately 31 tonnes of Venezuelan gold reserves held at the Bank of England. The gold has been tied up in a protracted international legal dispute for years, with no resolution reached to date. Rodriguez has also raised the issue of frozen assets with the International Monetary Fund, pushing for global institutional support to unblock funds critical to Venezuela’s recovery.